The real Ford Taurus was discontinued in 2007. At the time if was considered an industrial size error on the lines of New Coke or Datsun changing their name to Nissan.
A couple of years later, realizing their mistake, they reintroduced the "name" but not the car. The car they called the "Taurus" was actually a Volvo that was originally called the "Ford 500".
Originally, the first Taurus was considered revolutionary in design, manufacturing, and quality control, and helped resurrect Ford out of the doldrums.
I'm not sure what to think about Ford anymore. I can't imagine Toyota discontinuing the Camary. But if they discontinue the Taurus, well, it's just another Volvo.
Widely successful new car introduction that hugely influenced every sedan on the market.
When Ford re-designed the body of the Taurus, an auto analyst made a pithy comment on how much the Taurus had influenced the sedan market:
"The new Ford Taurus is now the only sedan on the market that doesn't look like a Ford Taurus."