Ford’s Mark Fields announces Bold Move: Bring back Taurus & Sable brands
Wednesday, December 31st, 1969Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Ford
Making both a bold and simple move, Ford’s North American boss Mark Fields confirmed this morning what we already knew, that the Taurus and Sable brands will be resurrected for 2008.
Fields, delivering the keynote address at the Chicago Auto Show this morning, said the Ford Five Hundred nameplate will be dropped in favor of the venerable Taurus badge. The Freestyle crossover vehicle will also be renamed the Taurus X, and Mercury Montego will switch to the Sable nameplate. All three vehicle will be introduced to the press later in the day, though we were first introduced to the new “Taurus” in Detroit.
Fields said only four in 10 consumers were aware that Ford offered a vehicle called the Five Hundred. Yet the Taurus nameplate, which was killed last year, had built up 20 years of strong brand recognition and was recognized by 80 percent of shoppers. Fields also said Taurus was Ford’s third-best-known brand behind F-Series and Mustang. During the early ’90s, the Taurus was America’s best-selling car five years running. About seven million Taurus models were sold in 21 years, and Ford estimates nearly 3.5 million are still on the road.
Check out more of our thoughts, a complete transcript of Mark Fields’ speech, and VIDEO of him delivering the announcement after the jump.
Continue reading Ford’s Mark Fields announces Bold Move: Bring back Taurus & Sable brands
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