The Ford Taurus is about as American of a car as it gets, or it used to be, at least. At one point, the Ford Taurus was the best-selling car in America, yes, even over the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. That was 1988 and this is now, where the Camry has reigned supreme over everything else for the longest time.
Today, Ford will be debuting the all-new Chinese-market Taurus at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. This will be the first time the Taurus will be sold in China where large premium or luxury sedans are in high demand. The version seen here has been developed with a focus on the Chinese market. The new Taurus will be built at the recently opened Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant in China, following a US$760 million investment. This will be Ford’s sixth plant in China.
John Lawler, chairman and CEO, Ford China, says, “The Ford Taurus we’re introducing today shows the amazing strength and flexibility of our One Ford plan. It combines the best of our global product development and large-car expertise with a clear understanding of what Chinese customers in this segment want.”
The Chinese market is pretty different to our own market here. Often, people who purchase luxury sedans of full-size premium vehicles hire a driver to ferry them around while they lounge in the back seat. The new Taurus is six inches shorter than the current North American Taurus, but rides on a wheelbase 4 inches longer, which opens up more leg room, especially in the back, along with generous shoulder and hip room.
Rear seat passengers are treated to a well-equipped cabin featuring power-reclining rear seats with optional adjustable lumbar support and a massage function, 25 stowage spaces, with cup holders designed to securely hold different-sized tea bottles, and premium leather with chrome and wood elements all around. Rear-seat passengers also get a control panel for air conditioning, seat functions and car media hidden in the centre seat cushion. Don’t expect our NA-spec Taurus to receive these goodies.
The new Chinese-market Taurus features a clipped trapezoidal five-bar grille adorned by sleek LED headlamps with signature DRLs and LED fog lights, flanking the all-business grille up front. Multi-piece LED taillights connected by a bright chrome bar and integrated chrome exhaust tips round out the rear end for that polished upscale look. Rolling stock comes courtesy of highly polished 19-inch 10-spoke wheels for that bling factor.
The side profile and and strong design lines on the hood give the Taurus a very planted stance, adding to the premium feel. Engine-wise, the Ford Taurus gets the new twin-turbo 2.7L EcoBoost V6 engine. Power rating not available yet, but the 2.7L Ecoboost in the Edge, pushes out 315 hp and the F-150 pushes out 325 hp, so expect it to be in that range.
Expect the Taurus to be available in front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive.
No word on how many of these changes will carry over to the North American Taurus due to be released in the third quarter of 2015.
2013 Ford Taurus and Focus EcoBoost
July 13, 2012
2014 Honda Accord Sport manual transmission
July 9, 2014
