Autoblog

The 2008 Ford Taurus isn't the running bull it once was or was intended to be -- at least, not yet. Combined sales of the 2007 Five Hundred and new 2008 Taurus -- with its new name, new engine and refreshed design -- were down 3.2-percent in August and a brow-raising 30.1-percent in September versus those same months in 2006.

Ford gave several reasons for the decline: last year's models came with 0-percent financing for 72 months, this year's car's come with 5.9-percent for 60 months. The company also ceased advertising during the end-of-summer clearance sales ads, thinking the car might not get proper attention amid the shouting. And, the full-sized sedan market has been soft this year as car buyers move to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

As of this month, an additional $500 has been added to the $1,000 in incentives for the car. Admittedly, though, the new Taurus is still being launched, since it only went on sale in July. With an eye on selling 60,000 Tauruses in the car's first year, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said "the retail sales trend is in a positive direction, and that's good."

Look for our In the Autoblog Garage review of the 2008 Ford Taurus soon.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

Ford is learning change is not always a good thing when it comes to selling cars. Ford's dealers sold Taurus' for 20 years until the company ditched that name and began selling the Five Hundred. Until February, of course, when the Five Hundred became the Taurus again. At most dealerships.

Winding Road reports that CNW Marketing shopped around and found about 20-percent of Ford salespeople still trying to sell Five Hundreds instead of the revived Taurus. And another 60-percent of the sales team usually call it a Taurus, but occasionally let slip the old name.

We agree with Winding Road that Ford needs to get a handle on this. No matter how good the product, if your sales force can't even remember the proper name, how are the buyers supposed to? Personally, when I'm shopping for a car, if I know more about the car than the the person selling it, I walk. And if they can't get the name right, how am I supposed to believe them when they tell me the Taurus is the best car available? Come on folks, you've had six months to get used to Taurus rolling off the tongue, get out there and sell some cars.

If your Ford sales staff is having trouble keeping the two names straight, feel free to print our handy Field Guide to the Ford Taurus above.

[Source: Winding Road]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Va. has just concluded testing on some 75 vehicles' head restraint systems and after performing a simulated rear-end impact of 20 MPH, only 22 of the systems received the top score of "good."

At the head of the class was Audi's A4, S4 and A6, along with the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Five Hundred (Taurus, whatever) and its Mercury counterpart, Honda's Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Jag S-Type, Kia Optima, Merc E-class, Nissan Sentra and its lesser sibling the Versa, Subaru's Impreza, Legacy and Outback, as well as Volvo's S40, S60 and S80 (no surprise).

The flunkees included the Acura TSX, BMW 5-series, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, Caddy CTS, DTS and STS, Chevy's Aveo, the Honda Fit and Accord, Infiniti's M35, the Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Pontiac's Grand Prix, plus the Toyota Avalon and Corrolla.

Considering that the IIHS estimates that the injuries sustained to the back and neck in these types of collisions costs insurance companies around $8 mbillion dollars per year, their interest in the matter is obvious. Whether or not consumers will include this in their purchasing criteria is another matter however.

[Source: IIHS]

The eagle-eyes at KGP have spied a 2008 Ford Five Hundred with very little camoflage. What's changed? Okay, okay, they've updated the nose by adding Edge-type lights that integrate more with the grille, lessening the bug-eye effect of the current model. There are new strakes in the airdam, and the new corporate three-bar grille, but other than that this looks like a mild freshening. We're detecting perhaps a smidge more angularity in the new front end. Out back, the taillights have been revised with more clear and just accents of red. Overall, a minor freshening but a much needed one to bring the Five-Hundred in line with the new face of Ford. We've always thought it was conservatively styled, but not ugly. The revisions keep it up to date, but the addition of the new 3.5-liter V6 with more power will no doubt pick up more sales than this mild facelift.


[Source: LLN]

Edmunds has compiled what it considers the top ten best vehicles for senior citizens. Seniors, defined as those sixty-five and older, represent the fastest-growing segment of America's population. The article addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle as they relate to a senior’s perceived needs.

The list, in alphabetic order, includes :

• Audi A8
• BMW 7 Series
• Buick Lucerne
• Chrysler 300
• Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
• Honda Civic
• Pontiac Montana SV6 (NOTE: The Montana is being retired by General Motors)
• Toyota Avalon (pictured)
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Sienna

Are there other vehicles you think deserve the AARP seal-of-approval?

[Source: Edmunds]