Did the Ford 500 replace the Taurus?
In short, the Ford Five Hundred did not permanently replace the Taurus; Ford briefly used the Five Hundred to fill the Taurus slot from 2005 to 2007, but the brand revived the Taurus name in 2008 on the same car, effectively continuing the Taurus lineage under a different badge.
This article traces the naming shifts and timeline of Ford’s mid-2000s sedans, explains why the change happened, and examines how the revived Taurus was received in the market.
What happened and when
The core question centers on whether the Five Hundred replaced the Taurus in Ford’s lineup, and how the naming shifts unfolded in North America during the mid-2000s. Here is a concise timeline to set the record straight.
Note: This timeline focuses on the U.S. market, where the branding changes were most visible. Global naming and marketing varied by region.
- 2005 model year: Ford introduces the Five Hundred as a new full-size sedan, effectively replacing the Taurus in Ford’s sedan lineup for that period; the Mercury Montego is its sister model.
- 2007 model year: The Five Hundred’s final year under that name in the United States; sales remain modest compared with past Taurus volumes.
- 2008 model year: Ford revives the Taurus name for the same platform and design, marketing the car as the new Taurus rather than the Five Hundred.
- 2009–2019: The Taurus continues in production under the revived badge, with styling and feature updates; the Five Hundred name is retired in the U.S. market.
The timeline shows that Ford did not keep the Five Hundred as a separate, long-term replacement for Taurus. Instead, Ford briefly used the Five Hundred to replace Taurus, then rebranded the same car as Taurus starting with the 2008 model year.
Why Ford made the change
Brand recognition and consumer familiarity played a major role in Ford’s decision. The Taurus name had decades of market presence and a strong reputation in the U.S., so reviving the Taurus badge was a strategic move to restore consumer confidence and drive sales, while the car itself remained essentially the same vehicle with updates in styling and interior features.
The Five Hundred/ Taurus relied on a modern, Volvo-derived CD3 platform, balancing interior space, safety, and efficiency. The rebranding allowed Ford to offer a contemporary sedan under a familiar name without a complete, costly redesign from the ground up.
Market reception and legacy
Reception to the initial Five Hundred iteration was mixed, with some praise for interior ergonomics and safety, but criticism of styling and branding ambiguity. Reintroducing the Taurus name in 2008 helped address some of these perceptions by aligning the car with an established, trusted badge. Sales trends varied through the late 2000s and early 2010s as the broader mid-size/mainstream sedan market evolved, culminating in Ford phasing out the Taurus in 2019 as part of a broader shift away from traditional sedans.
Key takeaways
- The Five Hundred replaced Taurus briefly in 2005–2007 in the U.S. market.
- In 2008, Ford relaunched the same car as the Taurus, effectively reviving the Taurus badge while retaining the same platform and fundamental design.
- The Five Hundred name was retired in the U.S., and the Taurus badge continued through the end of the 2010s before the model was discontinued in 2019.
Summary
The Ford Five Hundred did not permanently replace the Taurus. It served as a temporary replacement from 2005 to 2007, after which Ford revived the Taurus name in 2008 on the same vehicle. In this sense, the Taurus lineage endured via branding rather than through a lasting rebranding of a different model. The broader story reflects Ford’s strategy to balance modern engineering with a familiar name to maintain market appeal, a pattern that persisted until Ford restructured its sedan lineup in the late 2010s.
Is the Ford 500 the same as a Taurus?
2008 Ford Five Hundred concept. Upon direction of Ford CEO Alan Mulally, this was renamed the Ford Taurus before its production. The Five Hundred ended production on April 12, 2007, as did the Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle.
What did the Ford 500 replace?
When Ford did finally put the 500 into production, a large amount of that interest died because the production car had had its styling toned down and the drivetrain switched from RWD to FWD. This car was actually supposed to replace the Crown Victoria as Ford's big car before 2007.
Why was the Ford Five Hundred discontinued?
Yet, despite its adequate performance and an affordable price tag, the Ford Five Hundred was short-lived, receiving mixed reception and declining sales — soon turning out to be one of Ford's biggest failures.
What replaced the Ford Taurus?
The Ford Taurus was replaced by the Ford Five Hundred in 2005, but was then revived in 2008 when the Five Hundred was renamed the Taurus. The Taurus was ultimately discontinued in North America after the 2019 model year, as Ford shifted its focus to SUVs and trucks.
- Initial replacement (2005–2007): The full-size Taurus was first replaced by the full-size Ford Five Hundred, while the Taurus wagon was replaced by the Ford Freestyle crossover.
- Taurus revival (2008): Then-CEO Alan Mulally deemed the discontinuation of the Taurus nameplate a mistake. The Five Hundred was renamed the Taurus, and the Freestyle crossover was rebranded as the Taurus X.
- Final discontinuation (2019): Production of the Taurus ended in North America for the 2019 model year as Ford phased out its sedans in favor of trucks and SUVs.
- Current use: The Taurus nameplate continues to be used in some international markets, such as the Middle East, where a rebadged Ford Mondeo is sold as the Taurus.
