Ford Taurus Is Alive And Kicking In China, Gets Mid-Cycle Facelift

Even though earlier this month Ford ceased production of the Taurus in the U.S., the nameplate is still very mach alive in China.

Three and a half years after launching as an all-new generation that’s distinct from the one that was on sale until recently Stateside, Taurus is getting a mid-cycle facelift that will premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show next month.

As is customary in China before the launch of a new vehicle, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the first photos of the car, revealing rather minor styling updates.

The white car seen in the photos is the upper-range Titanium grade while the black one is the range-topping Vignale — a new variant for the Chinese Taurus. At the front, the facelifted Taurus gains new headlights that feature chrome detailing around the lenses, a reshaped chrome grille (a mesh one for the Vignale), and a restyled bumper featuring fog lights and chrome trim at the lower end.

The rear end of the refreshed Taurus adopts new LED taillights, a reshaped trunk lid, and a sportier bumper featuring black trim and wide horizontal tailpipes. Customers will have three alloy wheel designs to choose from.

The facelifted Taurus will only offer four-cylinder EcoBoost engines, ditching the previously available 325hp 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 twin-turbo unit. There will be two choices: a 1.5-liter EcoBoost and a 2.0-liter EcoBoost producing 245 horsepower.

As before, the Taurus will be built by the Changan-Ford joint venture at the Hangzhou plant, which has a maximum annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles.