The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiatus was undertaken between 2006 and 2007. From the 1986 to 2009 model years, the Taurus was sold alongside its near-twin, the Mercury Sable; four generations of the high-performance Ford Taurus SHO were produced. The Taurus also served as the basis for the first-ever front-wheel-drive Lincoln Continental (1988–2002).
Mercury was a brand of mid-priced automobiles produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between 1938 and 2011 with 1939 being the first model year. It stood as its own line within Ford until 1945, and thereafter formed half of Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division. Created by Edsel Ford in 1938 to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines, its principal competition was General Motors' Buick and Oldsmobile divisions, and Chrysler Corporation's DeSoto and Chrysler brands.
The Ford Windstar is a minivan that was produced and sold by Ford. The replacement for the Ford Aerostar, the Windstar adopted the front-wheel drive configuration of the Chrysler minivans. From the 1995 to 2007 model years, three generations of the model line were sold, with the final generation renamed as the Ford Freestar.
The Ford Five Hundred is a full-size automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from the 2005 to 2007 model years. Deriving its nameplate from the previous "500" suffix used by Ford during the 1950s to the 1970s on its top-tier trims, the Five Hundred was introduced alongside the Ford Fusion as two model lines intended to replace the Ford Taurus. Within the Ford model line, the Five Hundred was slotted between the Fusion and Crown Victoria. Within Lincoln-Mercury, the model line was marketed under a revived Mercury Montego nameplate.
The Mercury Cougar is a series of automobiles that was sold by Mercury from 1967 to 2002. The model line is a diverse series of vehicles; though the Cougar nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various stages in its production, the model also was offered as a convertible and a hatchback. During its production as the mid-size Mercury line, the Cougar was also offered as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon.
The Ford D3 platform is an automobile platform assembled by Ford Motor Company. In production between the 2005 and 2019 model years, the D3 platform is the fifteenth generation of full-size cars produced by Ford in North America. Marking the adoption of unibody chassis construction, a transverse engine configuration, front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and the lack of a V8 engine, the D3 platform is derived from the 1998-2016 Volvo P2 architecture. Since 2008, the related D4 platform has served as a basis for crossover SUVs.
The Mercury Montego is a nameplate that was applied to three separate generations of vehicles marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Taking its name from Montego Bay, Jamaica, the nameplate made its first appearance for 1967 in the Canadian market as part of the Mercury-derived Meteor model line. For 1968, the Mercury Montego made its debut across North America, becoming the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Torino intermediate-size model line for two generations.
The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985, as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive.
The Mercury Milan is a mid-size car that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Named after Milan, an Italian city, the Milan was sold across the 2006 to 2011 model years in a single generation. The smaller of two model lines developed to replace the Mercury Sable, it indirectly succeeded the Mercury Mystique as the smallest Mercury sedan.
The Ford LTD II is an automobile produced and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 in the United States and Canada. Deriving its name from the full-sized Ford LTD model line, the intermediate LTD II consolidated the Ford Torino and Gran Torino model lines, with the Ford Elite replaced by the Ford Thunderbird. Offered in a two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and station wagon, the LTD II also served as a basis for the final generation of the Ford Ranchero coupe utility.
The Ford Fusion is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. From the 2006 through 2020 model years, two generations of the Fusion have been produced in gasoline, gas/electric hybrid, and gas/plug-in electric hybrid variants. The Fusion was manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly plant in Sonora, Mexico, alongside the Lincoln MKZ, and formerly the Mercury Milan, both of which share its CD3 platform.
The Cyclone engine, also branded Duratec, is Ford Motor Company's latest DOHC family of gasoline V6 engines introduced in 2006. The Cyclone succeeds Ford's previous V6 engine families, including the Canadian built Ford Essex engine introduced in 1981, the Ford Vulcan engine introduced in 1985, the original Duratec V6 introduced in 1993, and the Ford Cologne V6 engine, whose design dates back to 1962. The first version of the Cyclone engine, a 3.5 L V6, appeared in the 2007 Ford Edge and the Lincoln-badged luxury variant, the Lincoln MKX, as well as the Lincoln MKZ. Mazda badges its versions of the Cyclone MZI as it did with its versions of the Duratec V6.
Full-size Ford is a term adopted for a long-running line of Ford vehicles with a shared model lineage in North America. Originating in 1908 with the Ford Model T, the line ended in 2019 with the Ford Taurus, as Ford withdrew from the full-sized sedan segment in North America. Across 111 years, 15 generations, and over 60 million examples of the model line were produced across over 50 model nameplates. By contrast, the longest-running single nameplate worldwide is the Chevrolet Suburban, in use since the 1935 model year.
The Ford Freestyle is a crossover utility vehicle that was sold by Ford from 2005 to 2009. Largely marketed as the successor to the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was the CUV counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego four-door sedans. Sharing the Ford D3 platform with the Five Hundred and Montego, the Freestyle was produced with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations and six- or seven-passenger seating.
The first-generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable are automobiles produced by Ford as the first of six generations of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Launched on December 26, 1985, as a 1986 model, the front-wheel-drive Taurus was a very influential design that is credited with saving Ford from bankruptcy, bringing many innovations to the marketplace and starting the trend towards aerodynamic design for the American automakers in the North American market. Ford of Europe had launched the 1980s move to aerodynamic design for the company with the 1982 Ford Sierra.
The second-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile that was produced by Ford from 1991 to 1995, which served as the second out of six generations of the Ford Taurus. The second-generation Taurus shared all of its mechanical parts with the first-generation Ford Taurus, yet its exterior and interior were nearly completely redesigned. However, its exterior still strongly resembled that of the first-generation Taurus, leading many to believe that the second-generation was simply a facelift of the first-generation Taurus. However, this is partially true because the wagon model, from the B-pillar to the rear of the car, was a carryover from the first generation. The second generation of Taurus proved to be very popular, selling 410,000 units in its first year, becoming the best-selling car in the United States. It would hold this title until 1995, when it was discontinued and replaced with the third-generation Ford Taurus.
The third-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile that was marketed by Ford from the 1996 to 1999 model years. While the chassis underpinnings were largely carried over, the redesign gave the Taurus its first complete exterior redesign since its 1986 introduction. Slotted between the compact Ford Contour and full-size Ford Crown Victoria, the third-generation Taurus was again offered as a four-door sedan and as a five-door station wagon, marketed alongside the Mercury Sable.
The fourth-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile that was produced by Ford for the 2000 to 2007 model years. While mechanically similar to its 1996-1999 predecessor, major revisions to the bodyshell of the sedan were done to alter its controversial styling as well as add interior room; it was available in four-door sedan and five-door station wagon models.
The sixth generation of the Ford Taurus is the final generation of the model range manufactured by Ford. Introduced for the 2010 model year, the sixth-generation Taurus is the second generation of the model line produced as a full-size car; it was the heaviest sedan sold under the Ford brand worldwide. While sharing its D3 chassis underpinnings with the previous generation, the sixth generation marked the first North American use of Kinetic Design design language.
The Ford Mondeo I (first generation) is a mid-size car that was produced by Ford, beginning on 23 November 1992, with sales beginning on 22 March 1993. It is also known as the Mk I Mondeo; the 1996 facelift versions are usually designated Mk II. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk. In December 1992, Autocar published a section on the Mondeo, and how it would conquer rivals.
