I don't think Ford is trying to go upscale with the Taurus (like Hyundai with Genesis). It's just their interpretation of what a modern full size (not mid-size) sedan should be. Will they be successful or not, only time will tell.
The Taurus is V6 only so I don't think a comparison with the Camry I4 makes any sense; perhaps with the V6 Camry, but then again, the Taurus is a full-size and the Camry it's a mid-size.
The "stripper" Taurus will be around $26K USD IIRC, which is right between the stripper Camry V6 ($24,200 USD) and the stripper Avalon ($27,800 USD), but I bet it will be better equipped in the lowest trim than both.