[ZTWsquared]

OAC_Sparky,Oct 22 2006, 02:36 PM Wrote:Dislike it all you like, Ford sold tons of them.

Carmakers only wish half the s***boxes you revere were as successful.[right][snapback]212924[/snapback][/right]

Yup ... Ford took a huge chance with the Taurus but when it was first launched it rocked the automotive world like few cars before it. It really saved Ford’s bacon too because they were losing serious ground to GM at the time and of course the Japanese were also taking market share.

Not only did the Taurus change forever the way North American’s looked at design, it finally gave us a car that at least came close to European ride, handling and materials. At that time the Taurus name became synonymous with a possible resurgence of all North American auto manufacturers … the automotive equivalent to the ‘great white hope’ of boxing fame.

In short, with Taurus Ford earned tremendous street cred and unprecedented brand value and in the market place both were worth billions. It’s a shame that Ford’s management over the years squandered the value of the Taurus name by continually attaching it to cars that never lived up to the standards and the promise of the very first Taurus. It could have been to sedans what the Mustang is to pony cars. It should have been.

And on a personal note, the Taurus was the car that switched me from GM and Honda to Ford (I owned 3 Tauri) … and although I’m sad to see the Taurus name disappear, it’s the right thing to do considering the damage Ford’s done to the brand over the past decade.