Posted on 01/31/2008 4:21:51 PM PST by Spktyr
Ford executives belittle Taurus design while pushing next version EXECUTIVES TRASH CURRENT TAURUS' DESIGN, PUSH NEXT LINE OF SEDAN DETROIT - Belittling your product probably isn't a great marketing tool, but two top Ford Motor executives recently criticized the looks of the new Taurus sedan, with one comparing it to doofus cartoon character Homer Simpson. While speaking in Detroit this month, Chief Executive Alan Mulally and Derrick Kuzak, head of global product development, took shots at the current Taurus. During a speech to industry insiders, Mulally hinted that a new, nicer-looking Taurus is coming in the next year or so, adding a crack about the current car. "The new Taurus that you're going to see in the next year or so is the one we should have made originally," he said while addressing a seminar. "It is just fabulous." Kuzak went even further while speaking to a group of analysts. He projected a slide with the portly, balding, doughnut-devouring Simpson standing above a Ford Five Hundred, the sedan that was renamed the Taurus last year. Next to Homer were cartoon images of Superman and Mr. Incredible, each above small drawings of sleeker versions of the Taurus that could hint at the next generation of the family sedan. "As you walk from a Homer Simpson design to a Superman design, it's all about millimeters matter," Kuzak told the analysts. He pointed to minuscule differences in the bumpers and the proportion between the window glass and the body side. He also noted the need to fill the wheel well with the right-size tires. "That's only delivered when the engineering team does not dumb down the design because of engineering and manufacturing feasibility concerns," Kuzak said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
I have not, and will never buy a front wheel drive car. They handle like crap.
The styling on the current Taurus is insipid. The crazy thing is, companies like Toyota use California car design firms to style their cars so they look good. Who the heck is doing the styling for Ford? North Korea?
What, don’t you *like* terminal understeer and torque steer? :P \sarc
My Dodge Grand Caravan, circa 1988 has just passed the 260,000 mile mark and still running strong. In 20 years it’s had a total of $2,600 of repairs excluding brakes, tires, and routine maint. I’m thinking of getting it repainted and fit with a DVD player and club seating. It will cost me around $800.
J. Mays was the 500/Taurus stylist. He’s very, very good at making iconic designs, but sometimes the beancounters or some of Nasser’s diversity appointees screw up his stuff.
That said, he’s admitted that he blew the 500/Taurus design and that it was a colossal mistake.
Naaah. I handle my steering with the rear wheels.
No kidding, you’ve shown me that before. Jaguar pilot over here, remember?
That said, I’m using a 1990 Nissan Pathfinder as a beater - and yes, you can steer that with the throttle, too. FWD does, indeed, suck.
A Ford engine blew on a family member’s Windstar minivan after 50k miles and had to be completely replaced. The service guys install the new engine (received that day from Ford) and realize it has a giant crack through it. High quality operation they run...
None of us ever suggested that simply attaching the Taurus nameplate to an already-existing, bathtub-like conveyance was going to sell more cars. It was, though, a marketing error to simply do away with the Taurus name.
It looks as though Ford might finally be figuring that out.
Yes, but I bought a really cheap 04 Explorer w/90k miles for 4K. I'll deal with the problems. I like it. (dark cloud, silver lining) ps, I never buy new.
Ford destroyed the Mustang in the late 70’s and eighties the exact same way they are ruinning the Taurus. Tribal knowledge should teach someone something.
The Germans engineer cars that are simply a pleasure to drive. The Japanese build cars that are absolutely bulletproof and thus very cheap to own, regardless of initial purchase price. Unfortunately, the American mentality is to gain market share via the lowest price, and that short-term outlook does not result in good products.
Good products will gain market share in the long run, and will command price premiums. It’s unfortunate that by and large, Americans don’t seem to recognize or act on that.
I think quality as a whole will go down the crapper as more and more parts are made in China and then used by ALL the majors.
Toyota even got dinged by Consumer Reports recently for declining quality. Maybe they should go looking for the “Made in China” label on the Toyota parts.
Checking the oil in my new Jeep the other day the side of the wiper motor said “Dongzhou” (I think). So who knows how many hidden parts are really iron with a litle bit of dead fish mixed in.
Yes. I believe you have the S.
Engineers can do almost anything. The real problem is the bean counters who tell the engineers how much money they get to waste on a car. That limits the ability of the engineers to do what they do best. If you only have money for solid axels and leaf springs, your car just isn’t going to ride very well. If you body is thin and you can’t pack it with insulation, your car is not going to be very quiet.
I’ll third it. FWD sucks. Maybe not in snow. But the rest of the time, it sucks.
Specifically - 00 XKR, modified; 95 XJR, modified; 87 XJ6, modified; 90 Pathfinder, lightly modified.
Bathtub, check. "Generic conveyance" at best, check.
The new upcoming Hyundai Genesis coupe is going to be interesting - it’s going to have a V6 that makes the same power as the V8 in the Mustang GT, for the same price as the Mustang GT. On top of that, it is *rear* wheel drive and it includes an independent rear suspension, which the Mustang doesn’t have.
Ford’s beancounters are about to have a lot to answer for.
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