“He seems to be studying Toyota very intently.”
That’s a quote from my colleague, Edward A. Sanchez, about Ford CEO Mulally. Like most of the enthusiast community, I had been trying to figure out why Ford Motor Co. brought back the Taurus moniker after barely discontinuing it.
It seems with Alan Mulally in charge, there are no sacred cows at Ford Motor Co. any longer. Or should I say sacred bulls, as in the Taurus. In an article in Business Week , author David Kiley hints that the bread-and-butter nameplate that was staple of Ford’s passenger car line for two decades could be ready for a comeback tour.
This week, a veritable icon of the American automotive landscape will pass into the annals of history. The Ford Taurus, which at one time was considered a revolutionary vehicle for the domestic auto industry and, indeed, the global automotive marketplace, is being phased out in favor of newer, more modern successors in the form of the Five Hundred and Fusion. So why did America’s quintessential midsize sedan not enjoy the same evergreen reputation and appeal as the Camry and Accord?