Mondeo may be the popular protégé of the current Ford sedan product line, but dating back a few years in the global market, Taurus is Ford's most proud "disciple", it was born in 1985, it is also one of Ford's longest-selling models, and achieved sales of 8 million units worldwide.
But even "good products" will eventually have a twilight day. With the adjustment of the automobile segment and the upgrading of market consumption, Taurus's product strength gradually became weak, and eventually delisted in North America and Europe and the United States, and was forced to stop production in China due to poor sales.
Although Taurus has been delisted and discontinued in some markets, its mission continues. No, a few days ago, Ford released a new generation of Taurus. It is reported that the new generation of Taurus has completed a comprehensive test and is expected to be officially launched on the market as soon as late this year.
(5th Generation Mondeo)
The appearance of the new taurus has a high degree of similarity with the fifth generation of Mondeo currently listed in China, and if you do not tell you to listen or carefully identify, it is easy to misunderstand that this is a fifth-generation Mondeo.
Specifically, the new Taurus front face will also adopt a large polygonal intake grille, and the interior is used to form a visual effect similar to "scales" with bright color elements. The headlights on both sides adopt a split design, in which the upper light group also adds a penetrating LED strip, and extends the "sickle" structure to the two sides, which is very personalized.
At the same time, the rear of the new car is studded with the "TRURUS" logo, which will also be the most obvious detail in appearance with the fifth generation of Mondeo.
It should be noted that the new taurus and the fifth generation of Mondeo are also different in terms of size performance, according to the news shows that the size of the new car reached 5018/1884/1506mm, and the wheelbase performance was 2949mm. In contrast, the size of the new taurus is better than that of the fifth generation Mondeo.
As for the carriage, the new generation of Taurus does not follow the fifth generation of Mondeo across the center console, a huge Dalian screen of 1.1 meters long, but applies an 8-inch LCD instrument + 13.2-inch central control screen composed of a floating double screen. In addition, the knob-type gear shift mechanism, mood light and other configurations are also equipped.
It is worth mentioning that the new generation of Taurus interior color matching is mainly black + white mix, and the seat is made of leather and fur materials, the touch and visual perception are better than the fifth generation of Mondeo.
The new Taurus may be available with 2.0T and 2.7T V6 engines, of which the 2.0T engine is the same as the fifth-generation Mondeo, with a maximum power of 175 kW (238 hp) and a peak torque of 376 N·m, matching the 8AT transmission. Plug-in hybrid and pure electric versions are also expected to be introduced.
The new taurus is based on the Ford C2 platform like the fifth generation of Mondeo, but considering its delisting in the US domestic market, there is no doubt that the new generation of Taurus will also be produced by the domestic Changan Ford.
It should be noted that although the new generation of Taurus is produced in China, it is a model that focuses on the Middle Eastern market and will not be sold in the domestic market.
Why focus on the Middle East market? Isn't it because Taurus is a popular mid-size sedan in the Middle East?
According to sales data, Taurus sales in the UAE soared 527% year-on-year, Saudi Arabia also increased by 73%, Kuwait increased by 125%, Oman increased by 63%, Bahrain increased by 42%. With the arrival of a new generation of Taurus, I believe this sales figure has doubled. Therefore, it is reasonable not to focus on the Middle East market.
As for the reason for not publishing in the domestic market. It is nothing more than because it is too "inner volume", which means that the product is seriously homogenized. As mentioned earlier, the two models are based on the same platform, and there is no obvious difference in the level of product strength, and it is popular to say that the new generation of Taurus is a new standard Mondeo.
The fifth-generation Mondeo is a "localized" model created by Ford China based on the needs of the domestic market, with the purpose of starting again by placing high hopes, of course, not wanting to have too many product-powered models to stir up trouble. After all, they are all produced by Changan Ford, or there is a "double star" strategy that is different from other German and Japanese brands.
As the "shoulder handle" of the medium and large family car under the Ford brand, it is indeed a little regrettable that it is now highly likely to miss the domestic market. Fortunately, we still have the "Taurus Minor" (the fifth generation of Mondeo) based on domestic demand for us to choose from.
Finally, to interject, although the United States and other overseas markets have been discontinued and delisted Mondeo and Taurus and other models, but the subdivision demand for medium-sized family cars is still there, then Ford is also likely to export the new generation of Taurus (Mondeo) produced by Changan Ford to overseas markets such as the United States.
Looking forward to follow-up information.