Ford Taurus

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Not to be confused with Ford Taunus.
For other uses, see taurus (disambiguation).
Ford Taurus
2010 Ford Taurus Limited 2 -- 10-31-2009.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Ford
Production 1985-Present
Model years 1986 Present
Body and chassis
Class Mid-size car (1986 2007)
Full-size car (2008 present)
Chronology
Predecessor Ford LTD (1985)
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by Ford in the United States. Now
in its sixth generation, it was originally introduced in the 1986 model year, an
d has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades. It has h
ad a Mercury-branded twin the Sable (1986 2005; 2008 2009), as well as a performance
variant, the Ford Taurus SHO (1989 1999 and 2010 ); in addition, it served as the b
asis for the first-ever front-wheel drive Lincoln Continental (1988 2002). It was
a front-wheel drive mid-size car until 2007, and has been a "global" full-size c
ar (built on the Ford D3 platform) since 2008, and available in front- or all-wh
eel drive since 2008.
The original Taurus was a milestone for Ford and the entire American automotive
industry, bearing an influential design that brought many new features and innov
ations to the marketplace.[1] Since its launch in 1986, Ford had built 7,519,919
Tauruses through the 2007 model year,[2] making it the fifth-best-selling North
American nameplate in Ford's history; only the F-150,[3] Escort,[4] Model T,[5]
and Mustang[5] have sold more units. However, between 1992 and 1996 the Taurus
was the best-selling car in the United States,[6] eventually losing the title to
the Toyota Camry in 1997.[7] The 1986 1995 Taurus was built on the DN-5 platform,
and the 1996 1999 Taurus was built on the DN101 platform. The 2000 2007 Tauruses we
re built on the D186 which was a modified DN 101 platform.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, sales of the Taurus declined as it lost marke
t share to Japanese midsize sedans and as Ford shifted resources towards develop
ing SUVs. It was discontinued in 2006, with production initially ending on Octob
er 27, 2006, and 2007 being the last model year.[8] Ford had decided to replace
the Taurus with the fullsize Five Hundred and midsize Fusion sedans, as well as
replacing the Taurus wagon with the Freestyle crossover SUV. However, Ford reviv
ed the Taurus name during the 2007 Chicago Auto Show a few months later by renam
ing two new models that had been intended to be updated versions of the Five Hun
dred and the Freestyle, the "2008 Taurus" and "2008 Taurus X", respectively.[9][
10] A new model of fullsize Taurus was then released for the 2010 model year, an
d the 2013 mid-generational refresh (minor model update) was unveiled at the New
York Auto Show with minor exterior changes and interior technology options.
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