Ford has unveiled the all-new Taurus at a special event in Shanghai ahead of the car’s formal debut at the auto show held in the Chinese metropolis next week.
Described as a “new premium business sedan for China,” the new Taurus looks like a larger Fusion, sporting similar headlights, grille and profile.
It’s the first time the famous nameplate is sold in China and Ford made sure it caters to Chinese customer’s tastes by designing it to meet the needs of the world’s largest car market.
The Taurus features a clipped trapezoidal five-bar grille flanked by sleek LED headlamps with signature DRLs and LED fog lights. At the rear, the sedan gets multi-piece LED taillights connected by a bright chrome bar and integrated chrome exhaust tips. The Taurus rides on polished 19-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels.
Inside, the new Taurus offers “an exceptionally roomy cabin,” thanks to the sedan’s 5,000mm (196.8in) length and 2,950mm (116.1in) wheelbase. Ford says second-row legroom is abundant, with generous shoulder and hip room too. Furthermore, the cabin features more than 25 stowage spaces, while cup holders were designed to securely hold different-sized tea bottles.
Since second-row passengers are most important in this class of vehicles in China, the Taurus is equipped with power-reclining rear seats with optional adjustable lumbar support and a massage function. Rear-seat passengers also get a control panel for air conditioning, seat functions and car media hidden in the center seat cushion.
Soft and durable materials, such as supple leather, are used throughout the cabin, as are bright chrome and wood elements. A full panoramic sunroof is also offered.
Under the hood, the new Ford Taurus gets the new twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, with an as-yet-unspecified power rating. The new Taurus will be built at the recently opened Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant in China, following a $760 million investment. Ford’s sixth plant in the country, the Hangzhou facility has a maximum annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles on a flexible production line.
Ford didn’t say whether the US-spec 2016 Ford Taurus, expected to launch in the third quarter this year, will be identical with the Chinese-spec model. However, it’s unlikely to be very different, given the automaker’s One Ford strategy.