The Questionable Future of the Ford Taurus

The future of the Ford Taurus is uncertain. The once revolutionary sedan in the 80's, was brought back by Ford CEO Alan Mulally for the 2008 model year to replace the Five Hundred full-size sedan has seen its sales slump.

Automotive News reports that full-size sedans like the Taurus have seen their sales tank. Through July, full-size sedan sales are down 28 percent. But the Taurus is one of the worst off. The blue oval has sold 29,867 Taurus sedans through July. That puts it on track to 2009, which was the worst year for Taurus sales with 45,617 models sold.

Not helping matters is the Ford Fusion, which not only offers more passenger space than the Taurus, it also looks better. In July, Ford moved 25,105 Fusions.

There was hope for the Taurus when Ford introduced a redesigned model for the Chinese market earlier this year. Despite Ford saying the model was going to be built and sold only in China, there was some hope that something like that could happen for the North American version. But Ford has been quiet on what the future holds for the Taurus.

"Taurus continues to play an important role in our North America vehicle lineup," Ford spokesman Said Deep told Automotive News.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)