The Very Last Ford Taurus Rolled Off The Assembly Line

© 2018 J. Brown Photography – jbrownphotography.com

The time has come to an end yet again for the Ford Taurus. With Ford now putting its focus into trucks, SUVs, and Mustang, the carmaker has pulled the plug on sedan production. Yet again, the final Taurus just rolled off the line in the Windy City. This time it may be the actual end of the American family sedan that graced us with its presence for almost 34 consistent years.

The Taurus first came about in 1985 and was first debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and over eight million Ford Taurus sedans have been built to date at Ford’s Chicago factory. The car was even used in the RoboCop film. Shortly after its big debut, a high-performance SHO Taurus model was introduced in 1989, and it made 220 horsepower out of its V6 engine. In 1992, the Taurus and its almost-identical sibling, the Mercury Sable, were both given a refresh. In the late-’90s, NASCAR had the front fascias gracing the front of their vehicles before the car became a popular fleet vehicle used for taxis and patrol cars. Then in 2000, the Taurus was given a facelift, but it didn’t go over very well. The Ford sedan was competing with the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and sales weren’t steady so production was halted in 2006. The Hapeville factory near Atlanta where it was built was shut down and jobs were lost.

Loss of jobs won’t be the case this time. About 500 jobs will be added as Ford has thrown some serious cash ($1 billion) at the factory to build the new Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility, and Lincoln Aviator. The last example in 2006, a silver Taurus, was shipped to the Chick-Fil-A headquarters to add to the founder’s collection. The Taurus was reborn again in 2010, and this generation survived until this March 1st, 2019 when the last one rolled off of the assembly line in Chicago. In China, the seventh-generation Taurus is still being built.

Through the years, the Taurus was competing with the likes of the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, and it didn’t go over very well so in 2006, and the Hapeville factory near Atlanta where it was built was shut down and jobs were lost. This time, about 500 jobs will be added as Ford has thrown some serious cash ($1 billion) at the factory to build the new Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility, and Lincoln Aviator.

It doesn’t look like the Taurus will come back again this time… but hey, you never know.