End of the road for the Ford Taurus

Ford will stop production of the Taurus next week, putting an end to a nameplate that’s been around for 21 years and featured on nearly 7 million cars. The Taurus was the best-selling car in the United States between 1992 and 1996, eventually losing the title in 1997 to the Toyota Camry - one of the early signs of the trouble that’s led to Ford’s current position.

When it was revealed in 1985 critics called it a "jellybean" or a "flying potato" because of its strange shape at the time, and the Taurus was credited with converting Americans from large V8 cars to smaller, more aerodynamic models. Ford developed the Taurus using expertise from its European operations, who had spotted the changing trends among US car buyers. The first two generations of the Taurus sold extremely well, but the radical oval styling of the third generation turned off buyers and eventually led to the downfall of the Taurus name. Frankly, we’re surprised it’s lasted this long.

As Ford continues working away on its Way Forward plan we wonder if they’ll be able to come up with the next “Taurus” to save the company.