Taurus Wins Award Though Not Available Yet

The new SHO adds a decklid-mounted spoiler, dual chrome-tipped exhausts and available 20-inch wheels and tires to the sculptured and athletic new Taurus shape.

How’s this for news? The 2010 Ford Taurus isn’t even out on the market yet, but it has already pulled down the first of what will likely be several awards coming its way over the next year. Esquire, the men’s magazine, recently evaluated a dozen new cars, subjectively basing their findings on three categories.

“We had three main criteria in selecting the Esquire Car of the Year,” explained David Granger, editor-in-chief. “The vehicle needed to be a pleasure to drive and be capable of shortening your breath when you slam down the pedal. It needed to be gorgeous and aggressive, capable of eliciting stares and gawks. And it needed to be attainable – a vehicle that most men actually can buy and drive. The new Taurus SHO nailed all of these parameters.”

A Unanimous Choice

What’s most amazing is that the Taurus SHO was the unanimous choice of the Esquire editors, no small feat considering that the Ford went up against some stiff competition.

“The reason we care about the new Taurus can be boiled down to four words: Looks good, goes fast. With a 3.5-liter turbo V-6, dubbed EcoBoost™, you get V-8 power with V-6 fuel economy,” said Esquire automotive correspondent, Ezra Dyer. “The SHO is a sleeper – a vehicle you can live with every day, that happens to have a secret under the hood.”

The all new Taurus will begin arriving in Ford showrooms early this summer, a full sized sedan that was designed to reshape customer’s perception of the Ford brand. Based on this award and my own initial look at the model, I believe that the award is justified.

Source: Ford Motor Company>

Ford Launches Promotional Taurus Tour

The sun is rising on an all new Taurus. The 2010 model is larger and much more luxurious than the sedan it replaces, an all new flagship for the Ford brand.

If you haven’t seen the 2010 Ford Taurus lately, then you’re missing out on seeing what could be one of the most significant sedans built by Ford in this generation. I don’t say that lightly, given the recent and ongoing success of the mid-size Ford Fusion, but the full size Taurus officially becomes the flagship car in the Ford fleet, a truly beautiful makeover that was sorely needed.

Of course, up until now you wouldn’t have seen the Taurus in person given that its only appearance has been at car shows since last winter. Now, however, Ford is rolling out a nationwide tour of the Ford Taurus, bringing the sedan to one hundred cities coast to coast.

Ford Execs Promote All New Taurus

Accompanying the Taurus as it makes its rounds are company executives who have been tasked with the responsibility to promote the Taurus and other new Ford vehicles as they meet with members of the press, the man on the street, etc. Ford is hoping that some of the attention being given to General Motors and Chrysler will go their way, positive news as well given that the automaker isn’t in bankruptcy as its competitors are.

The new Taurus will be powered by a 3.7L V-6 engine paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and set five passengers comfortably. An optional engine, a 3.5L EcoBoost V-6 will produce V-8 equivalent power while still providing V-6 fuel savings, technology that is available thanks to turbocharging and direct fuel injection. The engine also produces fewer pollutants hence its name — ecological boost or EcoBoost.

Ford says that the all new Taurus will offer three trim levels: SE, SEL and Limited. With a starting price of $25,995, including destination and delivery, the 2010 Taurus starts out at the same entry level price as the 2009 model.  More details about this model when it hits the market this summer.

Source: Ford Motor Company

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IIHS Recognizes Ford Safety Among This Year’s Top Picks

The Ford Motor Company recently received some good news that they’re certain to brag about a lot in the coming months. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a private group funded by the nation’s insurance companies, has named several Ford models as top safety picks for the year.

Leading the way are the Ford Flex and Fusion, Lincoln MKS, and the Mercury Milan, beating out Honda for the most “Top Safety Picks” amongst 2009 models. In addition, the IIHS has recognized Ford as having more 5-star government crash test ratings than any other automaker.

Class Leading New Vehicle Safety

“Leading the industry in ‘Top Safety Picks’ is great news, because IIHS tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own laboratories, and customers are increasingly relying on them when choosing a new vehicle,” said Susan Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.

The IIHS doesn’t dispense these awards freely, requiring that vehicles earn the top “good” ratings in the institutes’ high-speed front and side crash tests, and a rear crash test simulation that evaluates seat and head restraints. Since 2007, the IIHS has added a new requirement one that requires vehicles to offer electronic stability control.

“Flex and MKS are built on a platform that has a tremendous safety heritage – one that it shares with the 2009 Ford Taurus, rated America’s safest full-size car,” said Steve Kozak, Ford’s chief engineer for safety systems. “And Fusion and Milan prove that a high level of safety can come in a midsize package.”

Safety Packed Features

In addition to electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes, standard safety features on Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan include:

Six Standard Air Bags and Ford’s Personal Safety System®: Safety features include six air bags (dual-stage driver and front-passenger air bags, thorax side air bags for front-seat occupants and side-impact air curtains), safety belt pretensioners, seat weight-sensing system for the front passenger seat and crash-severity sensing.

Ford’s BeltMinder®, a safety belt reminder technology for the driver and front passenger that takes over after the initial safety belt reminder stops chiming.
LATCH: The Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren system provides convenient mounting points for compatible child seats.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System: This system warns a driver if one or more tires are underinflated. An active pressure sensor with a radio transmitter is mounted inside each tire. A receiver in the vehicle monitors each transmitter, and if tire pressure is not within specific limits, it will activate a visual warning light.

Other key safety features on select models include:

Adaptive Collapsible Steering Column – In an impact, the column will collapse, dependent on the weight and belted status of the driver.

Safety Canopy® – Ford’s exclusive side impact protection system features side curtain air bags that help protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollovers and side impact crashes.

“Safety is a top purchase consideration, second only to fuel efficiency, so the top safety ratings and competitive fuel economy of Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan are a winning combination,” said Michael Crowley, North America car and crossover marketing manager, Ford Motor Company.

Rare Good News For Ford

The IIHS report is good news for Ford in a year when the automaker continues to experience record losses and where domestic auto sales are down by 17% for the year. When the market does recover, Ford will be able to tout the many safety features found across its model line, features which are a proven hit with savvy and safety smart shoppers.

(Source: Ford Motor Company)