Ford Says Goodbye to Taurus



Source: : Associated Press via MSNBC, October 20, 2006
Situation
Ford Taurus debuted in 1985; nearly 7M units sold
Ford dropping model; last 1 being built this week
Significant Points
Taurus death slow, painful as Ford focused on big trucks
Used to be best-selling car in US; Taurus twin, Mercury Sable, sold 2M units
Radical styling popular, helped Ford out of financial crisis
But vehicle unchanged over 10 years, lacked advertising support
Says
"When that thing came out, it was a big deal. It so much became kind of the template of what a modern car was going to look like." -- Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture, Syracuse University

"It was really the last full-size American passenger sedan to dominate the segment." -- Jim Sanfilippo, senior industry analyst, Automotive Marketing Consultants

"They put no money into that product for the last several years. They just let it wither on the vine. It's criminal. The car had a great reputation, a good name. I don't understand what they were waiting for." -- Jack Telnack, retired chief designer for Taurus