REPORT: Next-gen Taurus likely to move to common platform with Fusion/Mondeo
2010 Ford Taurus – Click above for high-res image gallery
The 2010 Ford Taurus is barely into its launch, but plans are already being laid for the next-gen model. In what should be a surprise to no one, the next Taurus is expected to be smaller than the current car. According to The Detroit News, Ford is likely to move Taurus to a common platform shared with the Fusion and Mondeo. The combining of the Fusion and Mondeo has been planned for some time already and the Taurus will probably use a longer (and perhaps wider) variant of the same C/D segment architecture. The current Taurus platform will still be around for at least four more years and it'll also underpin the new Explorer that's expected to bow in 2010.
Similar plans are believed to be underway at General Motors for the Chevy Impala, whose next iteration will probably move to a stretched version of the Epsilon II platform along with the Buick LaCrosse and the next Malibu.
Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford Taurus
Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Tyler 2:29PM (7/12/2009)
Good news. Making the already great Taurus even greater.
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James 3:01PM (7/12/2009)
I see some "Camry-esque" lines everytime I see the new Taurus..more like a muscular, supersized Camry.
Carlos 3:58PM (7/12/2009)
It makes me relieved to see that at least Ford gets it and is well on their way to making much better cars, unlike Chrysler.
airswingman 5:13PM (7/12/2009)
ford should change a better style rims
Tinu 5:18PM (7/12/2009)
Looks hot.
naggs 4:18AM (7/13/2009)
it makes sense to use a larger version of the lighter platform than to use a lightened version of the larger platform, efficiency will be key
Guneenya 2:35PM (7/12/2009)
I hope "combining of the Fusion and Mondeo" means scrapping the Fusion outright and bringing us the Mondeo as is.
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Zoran 2:38PM (7/12/2009)
Why would they do that? Mondeo in the USA will never have Fusion's numbers.
Just think how "well" last Mondeo (a.k.a. Contour) did in the USA.
Jim in Tampa 3:07PM (7/12/2009)
Sign me up for a Mondeo station wagon!
Emiliano 3:29PM (7/12/2009)
Zoran, it seems you have not even seen the current Mondeo. Just so you know what you are talking about: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-mondeo/
This is what Ford's design team in Belgium needs to come up with to take on the Euros on their own grounds; hence the "euopean" looks of the Mondeo.
Nice car, wouldn't you agree? I'm won't say it's better than the Fusion and the Taurus because it's ultimately just a matter of taste. But it certainly is different, and I would like Ford to give me the chance to choose between them like GM does bringing Opels designs as Saturns.
Ford doesn't, and I go with Audi and/or BMW.
Farmboy 3:47PM (7/12/2009)
Zoran, the Mondeo has become more than the Contour, which has become somewhat of a cult car. The new Mondeo is a heavy attention getter and really high-end over across the Pond.
Zoran 4:02PM (7/12/2009)
I'm originally from Europe (I lived there until I was 15), I go there every few years and I saw bunch Mondeos in person last summer when I was there.
Its a nice car, but it will never be a better seller than Fusion.
Tdogg 6:41PM (7/12/2009)
They won't rename it Mondeo. Everyone in America knows what a Fusion is. Fusion is a name with good reliability and competitiveness tied to it.
the4thheat 1:17AM (7/13/2009)
It doesn't matter that the Mondeo in it's current layout wouldn't pull Fusion numbers because the Taurus could finally pull old-school Taurus numbers again if it was sized closer to the old car/current Fusion.
They mostly just slapped the Taurus brand on the Five Hundred because it wasn't selling anyway, I don't even really think of the current Taurus was really being a Taurus. But since the Fusion was doing better than the Five Hundred I guess they gave the name to whichever car needed it more desperately.
So things just go back to how they probably should have been from the start, with the Taurus more similarly sized to the Camry and Accord-the cars it competed with back in the old days. And the Fusion maybe gets to be a sportier Audi A4ish sized car.
Anyways I think it's good they'll all be built on one basic platform though, it really improves the amount of money you can spend to make the platform really great. Toyota literally builds half their lineup on the Camry platform so they're able to literally spend billions on R&D on it. Obviously each car is still going to need it's own separate R&D too but it definitely makes more sense to just have one really robust platform that you can spend a lot of money on then to try and compete while spending only a fraction because you're trying to develop like 5 platforms at once.
Rodney9396 3:06PM (7/12/2009)
i'm not a fan of domestics but i am really impressed with the designs that have been coming out for the past few years (camaro, challenger, viper, cts) and now this. Definately an upgrade from the pos that the taurus was before it was reincarnated.
Anyway, i hope that the next-gen looks as good as this cuz its a great design
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jv2k 3:27PM (7/12/2009)
Isn't the whole point of the car that it's bigger than the midsized offering? Either they kill the fusion and bring the taurus to it's older size or they need to do something to differentiate the two cars.
I don't see a point in offering two cars that are the same size under one badge, especially when they share a platform.
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nardvark 3:35PM (7/12/2009)
This Taurus is HUGE, I mean absolutely gigantic. They could shed some size and still have it differentiated from the Fusion. I read this as good news that they won't let the Fusion creep up in size, a la the newest version of the Accord.
jimmy glick 3:39PM (7/12/2009)
The article says the next Taurus would probably use a longer and wider version of the platform used by the Fusion and Mondeo. Going by this, I would say that it will still be bigger than those cars.
"The combining of the Fusion and Mondeo has been planned for some time already and the Taurus will probably use a longer (and perhaps wider) variant of the same C/D segment architecture."
Farmboy 3:47PM (7/12/2009)
Actually Chevy does the same thing with the Malibu and the Impala. The Impala, although considered a full-sized car is actually a larger mid-sized. At least this is what I read. Making this car a bit smaller wouldn't be the end of the world, and what is wrong with 2 cars in the same class. Besides it says that the Taurus will be bigger than the Fusion. This would increase fuel economy and maybe open up an option for a new car, possibly Fusion wagon.
Lexus&GM 3:48PM (7/12/2009)
What are you talking about, the current '10 Taurus is a large car and the Fusion is a mid-size and when they come out with the next Taurus and Fusion/Mondeo the Fusion will still be mid-sized and the Taurus will be based on the long wheel base version of the Fusion platform making it a large car.