More Info on New Taurus

[igor]

Completely confused by your comment.

 

Isn't the Taurus and Taurus X currently being manufactured in the Chicago plant? For example, see this link: "... [The Taurus X] comes together in America at Chicago Assembly Plant, the historic Ford factory where the famed Model T was once built."

 

And Wikipedia has this on the D3 and D4 platforms. They say the D3 is built in Chicago Assembly Plant and the D3 platform includes the Taurus, Taurus X, Sable, and MKS. This same Wikipedia page also says "The D3 platform is expected to be redesigned for the 2010 model year introductions, and is sometimes called D4" and the D4 platform will include the Flex, Taurus, Sable, Explorer, Mountaineer, and MKT.

 

Are you saying they'll change the factory too? That's a lot of cost to close a plant just built to handle the D3 platform. You'd think they'd modify the Chicago plant along with the platform?? Wikipedia says "Ford spent $400,000,000 in 2004 to modernize the [Chicago] plant. It switched to production of the D3 platform vehicles for 2005 as nine automotive suppliers have built factories nearby. Ford's Chicago plant is a center for flexible just-in-time production and has repeatedly been cited as the most efficient automobile factory in North America." OTOH, the Flex is D4 and already being set for production at Ford's Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada, which is telling.

 

Notable to me is that the Taurus X is missing from the Wikipedia's D4 vehicle list, although the Taurus is listed. But the D4 is mostly ramping in 2010. What about the T-X in 2009? You'd think they'd continue it as long as the Taurus and Sable are still being produced at the Chicago plant?

And I'm not enough in the know about what happened with the MKT. Production issues?

my post is refering to Chicago Auto Show - not Assembly plant.

 

Igor

[regfootball]

the flex is supposed to have noticeably more room inside than the t-rex. it's taller, FOUR inches wider and claims in the promotions that it has unreal 2nd row leg room (the t-x is tight in the second row compared to the 500).

[LarryQW]

the flex is supposed to have noticeably more room inside than the t-rex. it's taller, FOUR inches wider and claims in the promotions that it has unreal 2nd row leg room (the t-x is tight in the second row compared to the 500).

 

Ford has specs on the T-X on their T-X site, but hasn't put out the offical numbers on the Flex. Nevertheless, I found some numbers on a Flex enthusiast site.

 

Here's a summary, to the extent the Flex numbers are known right now:

 

Exterior Length x Width (inches)

Flex 202.3 x 79.9

T-X 200.3 x 74.9

 

Leg Room (inches)

Row Flex T-X

1 40.8 40.8

2 44.3 40.4

3 33.4 33.4

 

Hip Room (inches)

Row Flex T-X

1 55.4 55.5

2 55.0 56.0

3 41.1 45.9

 

The leg room is similar on both, except for the second row that's already quite adequate on the T-X. I actually wish they'd give more to the driver, as I barely fit in the T-X with my long legs. Most other cars give more leg room to the driver than these Fords.

 

The Flex is 5" wider on the outside, but actually has less people width (hip and shoulder) on the inside. I saw the same thing happen with the Saturn Outlook's official numbers - 4" wider on the outside but less width on the inside. This only means the car is harder to park, with less room to open the door in lots, but no more room inside.

[rmc523]

I believe Oakville with the Edge/MKX.

 

Oh, that's interesting, based on the fact that it's built on the D3(2?) platform. So I take it Oakville's a flex plant then (if you're right, it's a Flex plant too )?

Edited January 30, 2008 by rmc523

[suv_guy_19]

Oh, that's interesting, based on the fact that it's built on the D3(2?) platform. So I take it Oakville's a flex plant then?

 

Oakville is Ford's crown jewel.

[rmc523]

I could live with another surprise

 

That'd be horrible to have to suffer through another surprise.

Edited January 30, 2008 by rmc523

[rmc523]

Well first of all, don't believe Wikipedia.

 

Flex & MKT will be built at OAC. In fact, according to somebody on this board, they already batched about 50 Flexes.

 

No decision has been made about where the Explorer/Mountaineer will be built. Except that one should conclude that they will either be built at Louisville or the Ranger will move to Louisville, as Ford has promised to keep Louisville open until 2011.

 

Now Ford has promised to keep TCAP open another year (to 2009) ergo it could be assumed that the Ranger will be moved to Louisville in 2010, as the Explorer+Mountaineer are moved to Chicago, but that's all speculation and should be positively identified as such.

 

Also, AFAIK, D4 is not Ford's code for the improved D3 platform.

 

Isn't it D32, or is that just what we've been calling it here? And what does AFAIK mean?

[suv_guy_19]

Isn't it D32, or is that just what we've been calling it here? And what does AFAIK mean?

 

as fas as I know.

[rmc523]

as fas as I know.

 

Ahhh, thanks.

[LarryQW]

Isn't it D32, or is that just what we've been calling it here? And what does AFAIK mean?

 

Yes, the new platform is a mod on the D3, so D32 makes more sense. I dimly recall even Ford's using that coding rather than D4. Wikipedia is a bit out of date on that. Someone want to edit the page?

[RichardJensen]

Someone want to edit the page?

Not me.

 

Last thing I need to be doing is giving away more time.