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What Are Your Thoughts on the Return of the Taurus/Sable?

530 messages,  Last post on Aug 22, 2008 at 11:00 PM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Five Hundred, Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Future Vehicle, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 20 of 54

#184 of 530 Re: Good Move [pnewby] by gregg_vw

Feb 19, 2007 (12:56 pm)

Replying to: pnewby (Feb 19, 2007 12:10 pm)
I don't disagree with you two! Ford has added some very significant improvements. I think I even said that. But GM's approach, like it or not, works pretty well. The Tahoe has overtaken the Expedition's lead. The Escalade has overtaken the Navigator's lead. Sales of the Explorer fell precipitously after the latest re-do, despite all the improvements made to it. That is too bad, and it is not just due to bad press.
 
I could be wrong, but when people walk into a Ford dealership, they see showroom stuff that looks much like the units on the pre-owned side of the building. Ford has adopted a pattern of making their redesigns look like other companies mid-cycle freshening. Not changing the stuff people see first (the superficial outside shape and skin) may discourage some people from even trying the vehicle out, and thereby realizing there are substantial improvements underneath.
 
There is a long tradition of sheetmetal change bringing people in for a look. It is ancient history of course, but just for an example take a look at the 1960 Galaxie and compare it to a 1961, then 62, then the 63 then the 64. These were all in the same product cycle, but each year they re-bent all the metal. Is it important, really? No. Except that it sold more cars.
 
Ford neglects two things over and over: innovative styling and keeping up with the hp wars. I sometimes think they got so conservative styling-wise in the late 90's because of the strange 1996 Taurus. This car went past polarizing, and into wacko weird. Fear of stepping outside the lines has led to a careful recycling of bodies that used to sell well. But neither "wayout weird" nor conservative is doing it for Ford.
 
The lesson is that the first Taurus did have groundbreaking style. Unlike the 96, it wasn't weird or different just to be different. It saved the company then. They need a couple vehicles like that now.

#185 of 530 Re: Good Move [gregg_vw] by bristol2

Feb 19, 2007 (1:19 pm)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Feb 19, 2007 12:56 pm)
This is off-topic for the Taurus theme but it seems pretty clear that the next F-150 is key.
The latest editions of the Expedition and the Explorer are both great vehicles but came out at the moment that gas got up to $2.50 - $3.00 a gallon. That sucked all the air out of those releases. I think the real shame there is that Ford continues to drag on bringing a diesel to these vehicles. If you could get an Expedition that got 25-30mpg, they could call the 500 what ever they felt like.
 
With the F-150 there is real brand equity and they cannot afford to make a mistake there.
 
How would they rebrand that one?

#186 of 530 gregg by nvbanker

Feb 19, 2007 (1:46 pm)

Ford neglects two things over and over: innovative styling and keeping up with the hp wars.
 
Can't argue with ya there, gregg - GM seems to be able to do it more efficiently, their HP is bigger, and economy a little better most places in the line. Ford also neglects advertising, and the advertising they do is "lifestyle" ads - if I were ARM, I'd fire their agency, and whichever Ford family member works there, and get someone in there that will show THE CAR in the ads for a change!! Surfboards and cute girls are fine, but I never saw the car! C'mon!!

#187 of 530 Re: gregg [nvbanker] by gregg_vw

Feb 19, 2007 (2:27 pm)

Replying to: nvbanker (Feb 19, 2007 1:46 pm)
I agree. Lifestyle ads aren't cutting it. Talk up the features lauded here. Even the lux brands like Lexus (showing the new one parallel parking itself) and Maserati (talking about their new automatic) don't rely on lifetyle ads. And the Edge ads with it always on the edge of two wheels is pretty stupid too.
 
Taurus and Sable ads should definitely emphasize the power, the room and the quiet. Forget the "all new" horse puckey and brag about what's real. (Of course it doesn't matter much what they do in ads for Sable, since the company apparently has already decided mercury is a goner.)

#188 of 530 Re: gregg [gregg_vw] by nvbanker

Feb 19, 2007 (5:24 pm)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Feb 19, 2007 2:27 pm)
I personally don't like the Sable name, and wish they'd forget about it. Montego is better now or forever to me, but the Taurus brand shouldn't die, it should be re-invigorated, hopefully that's what they are doing. They really need to advertise the crap out of it though - and the Edge - I guess that's just not for my generation...

#189 of 530 Re: I Always Thought The Freestyle... [barnstormer64] by albook

Feb 19, 2007 (6:05 pm)

Replying to: barnstormer64 (Feb 17, 2007 12:08 pm)
Which is fine. But just don't go touting how much more ECONOMICAL it is do so (as they typically do).
 
Yeah-I heard this guy going off on everyone who drives a car for more than four years because they are too expensive. NObody says this! Everyone knows it's personal prefence. Driving new cars has nothing to do with people getting imports. THey just choose them because they like them. No one is out to get ford. You're over reacting a little bit. And no one says domestics are no good. THey just say "in their oppinion" LExus has better quality than Lincoln-justifying their purchase. It DOES seem though, that a lot of people have been talking about how much better their Freestyle is than other crossovers.

#190 of 530 Re: Good Move [barnstormer64] by danielj6

Feb 19, 2007 (7:05 pm)

Replying to: barnstormer64 (Feb 18, 2007 5:49 pm)
Before you put me in a position of justifying purchasing an Avalon over a 500, my point was in the context that giving incentives in the form of cash rebates defeats the image that Ford wants to project for the new Taurus, namely competitive quality to fight buyers' perception about Avalon.
 
I don't want to get off topic, but I usually look at what I get for my money and keep in mind that if there is a substantial price difference between two brands there must be a reason for it. To me the bottom line is not related to price difference alone.

#191 of 530 Re: Good Move [danielj6] by barnstormer64

Feb 19, 2007 (8:59 pm)

Replying to: danielj6 (Feb 19, 2007 7:05 pm)
and keep in mind that if there is a substantial price difference between two brands there must be a reason for it
 
You sound like my wife.
 
Fortunately, some of us realize that it's just not always true. It really IS possible to pay more for less.

#192 of 530 Re: Good Move [barnstormer64] by thegraduate

Feb 20, 2007 (10:22 am)

Replying to: barnstormer64 (Feb 19, 2007 8:59 pm)
A car is worth what the market will pay for it. In Ford's case, the Taurundred is worth less than the Avalon, because people won't pay Avalon prices for it. It's a business thing.
 
The market is simply saying it won't pay the same price for a Taurundred as it would an Avalon, because it doesn't deem it to be worth the price.
 
You may differ from the market; many do. For people who would have bought the Ford over the Toyota, the rebate cash is a bonus. To the rest of the world, its a condition of the sale.

#193 of 530 Re: Good Move [thegraduate] by albook

Feb 20, 2007 (3:17 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Feb 20, 2007 10:22 am)
A car is worth what the market will pay for it. In Ford's case, the Taurundred is worth less than the Avalon, because people won't pay Avalon prices for it. It's a business thing.
Exactly my point. Ford doesn't give anyone any reason to. otherwise, Ford wouln't be introuble would they? SOrry to continually come back to this, but no one wants to pay 35g for a Taurus X (freestyle).
For people who would have bought the Ford over the Toyota, the rebate cash is a bonus. To the rest of the world, its a condition of the sale.
NOt necessarily true. Many have traded in Bimmer %'s for Acura TL's just to save money. But money doesn't always make up for inconvinience.

Messages Page 20 of 54

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