What is the Ford 500 called?
The Ford 500 is widely known as the Ford Five Hundred; Ford later renamed the model Taurus for the 2008 model year.
To understand this naming, it's helpful to look at the model's lifecycle: Ford introduced a full-size sedan in the mid-2000s called the Five Hundred, a fresh take on Ford's Taurus lineage. In 2008, Ford rebranded the car as Taurus to leverage the established Taurus name and simplify its lineup.
Origins of the Five Hundred name
Timeline and branding decisions
The Five Hundred was introduced in 2005 as Ford's new full-size sedan, intended to replace aging Taurus and Crown Victoria models in certain markets. It featured front-wheel drive as standard with optional all-wheel drive and shared some engineering with Volvo-derived platforms. The car was marketed under the Five Hundred name from 2005 through 2007.
Key milestones in the name and branding of Ford's large sedan are listed below:
- 2005–2007: Ford Five Hundred — the model introduced as a new full-size sedan emphasizing interior space and contemporary features.
- 2008–2009 (and later): Ford Taurus — renamed to Taurus for marketing reasons and to align with Ford's enduring family-sedan badge.
- Late 2000s onward: The Taurus nameplate continued on the same generation platform with updates through the 2010s.
In sum, the Ford 500 name was a brief chapter; the car most people remember today is the Taurus-branded version that followed, a continuation of Ford's long-running family-sedan lineage.
What distinguishes Five Hundred from Taurus?
To clarify how the two names map to the same vehicle and its lifecycle, here is a quick comparison of branding and market positioning:
- Branding: Five Hundred was the initial name for the 2005–2007 model; Taurus was revived for the 2008 model year and used thereafter.
- Styling and features: The Taurus branding brought updated front-end styling and interior tweaks aligned with later year revisions.
- Market strategy: Renaming leveraged the Taurus heritage to bolster dealer recognition and consumer recall.
Ultimately, the sedan's identity evolved from Five Hundred to Taurus, reflecting Ford's branding strategy more than a wholesale redesign.
Summary
The Ford 500 is primarily recognized as the Ford Five Hundred, but Ford renamed the model Taurus starting with the 2008 model year to align with an iconic name in its lineup. The two names refer to the same car across different model years, with the Taurus branding enduring through subsequent iterations.
