Ford Taurus more than just a rental car

The revamp of its Taurus model has been a priority for the Ford Motor Company, said CEO Alan Mulally, as the flagship vehicle debuted yesterday more than 10 years after it lost its previously-held title of best-selling car in the U.S.

Production of the 2010 Taurus, unveiled at this year’s Detroit auto show, was moved up by a year in order to meet consumer demand for more fuel-efficient cars. Last year, cars outsold trucks in the U.S. for the first time in eight years.

Ford is facing a challenge as it tries to rebuild demand for a brand that had been relegated to rental car company fleet purchases, before it was dropped altogether in 2006. Last year’s sales of the revived Taurus totaled only 52,667 units, which was 13 per cent of its peak volume in 1992.

“It doesn’t have a shadow of a chance of becoming the top-selling car,” said John Wolkonowicz, auto analyst with Massachusetts-based IHS Global Insight. He insists that buyers are moving to smaller and more fuel-efficient models.

Ford indicates that it is responding to that consumer demand change as well, with plans for the domestic introduction of two compact models that are now manufactured in Europe – the Fiesta and the Focus.

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