Ford Taurus AND Mercury Sable Make a Comeback
February 07, 2007

Ford made it official: it is bringing back the Ford Taurus and the Mercury Sable names.

Ford announced at the Chicago Auto Show today that the Ford Five Hundred, revamped for the 2008 model year, becomes the Taurus; the revised Mercury Montego will be renamed the Sable. The Ford Freestyle crossover, also freshened for 2008, will be called the Ford Taurus X.

Ford's President of the America's admits Ford made a mistake ditching the Taurus and Sable names, which have such tremendous equity.

Fields says only four in 10 people recognize the Five Hundred name; only two in 10 know what a Montego is.

In contrast, Taurus is recognized by 80 percent of consumers. Ford sold 7 million Tauruses in 20 years, with more than 3.5 million still on the roads today. "It's the third strongest nameplate in the Ford lineup, behind the F-Series and Mustang," said Fields.

Fields said it would take millions of dollars and years to build the Five Hundred and Montego names to the level of the Taurus and Sable, with no guaranteed success.

Still, there's no guaranteed success in changing names either.

"A nameplate can be an important and valuable marketing tool, especially considering the brand equity that a particular name can evoke," says Edmunds.com analyst George Kang. "On the other hand, a manufacturer must also consider the baggage that a nameplate can bring. The Taurus nameplate has more awareness for today’s consumer than the Five Hundred nameplate, but Ford also has to recognize that while the Taurus was once the leader in the midsize sedan and a leader in styling in its earlier life cycle, its later life cycle was associated with it being the most common vehicle in the rental car fleet.  Therefore, the Taurus may evoke mixed feelings more than positive ones.”

Indeed, the question is will consumers associate the new Taurus with the original trend-setting Taurus of the 1980s -- or will they remember the more recent Taurus, in which Ford invested virtually nothing and allowed to become nothing more than a rental car?

"The Taurus was one of the great triumphs of the Ford Motor Co," said William Jeanes, co-author of a book on automotive brands called "Branding Iron. "But the Taurus brand was severely devalued in its later years. If Ford can associate the new Taurus with the original, changing the name may work -- with the emphasis on may."

And will Taurus owners who shop the new Taurus be socked with sticker shock? Edmunds.com analyst Alex Rosten notes that the previous Taurus sold for well under $20,0000, at the bottom of the midsize segment whereas the Five Hundred, a full-size sedan, starts much higher at $23,500. Fields said pricing will be announced later.

Ford also apparently has ditched its naming system whereby cars (except for Mustang) start with an F and sport utilities with an E.

Fields said lessons were learned and pledged the automaker going forward will invest in product development and establishing individual nameplates, not letting them languish on the vine as it did the Taurus and Sable.

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