Why did Ford introduce the 2013 Taurus at the 2011 New York International Auto Show? After all, the revised sedan won't go on sale until next spring -- a full year from now. That's practically an eternity in the automotive market.
"It’s product cadence,” explained Ford spokesperson Alan Hall. “We want to keep the momentum going. It’s our commitment to refresh our products on a three-year basis. Every three years there will be a significant upgrade to our vehicles.”
In light of Ford’s midcycle update of the midsize Fusion sedan for the 2010 model year, it makes sense to apply the same sort of significant revisions to the Taurus and, presumably, the entire product portfolio from Fiesta to F-750. And it apparently puts Ford’s various vehicle lines on six-year generational life cycles.
In the '80s and '90s, Honda maintained an aggressive product development schedule that had the company introducing a new generation of its products every four years. For instance, there were new Civics introduced in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996. But Honda has backed off that relentless pace and the current Civic is about to leave production after six years.
Ford’s commitment to product updates may not be as relentless as Honda’s once was, but it may be as aggressive as any manufacturer’s can be in the current regulatory and market environment.
mrb5091 says:
07:21 AM, 04/21/11
"mid-cycle update of the mid-size Focus sedan for the 2010 model year"
Do you mean the Fusion?
lostboyz says:
07:31 AM, 04/21/11
because ford has already started launching 2012 products, so 2013 is the unreleased stuff. They are just a bit ahead of schedule, which is a good thing.
It makes sense to show a moderate refresh early, it lets people know they can buy the car now or wait for a few more features. If they said the new SHO was going to get more hp, then they would probably see a decline in current sales.
1487 says:
07:49 AM, 04/21/11
its because Ford doesnt have much coming out between now and then. Aside from 2012 Escape I can't think of any new Fords coming this year. They didnt want to be empty handed at a major auto show.
stovt001 says:
07:58 AM, 04/21/11
Yeah Ford has kinda blown through their new product pipeline pretty quickly. It positions them well in light of GM and Chrysler's pipeline being delayed due to bankruptcy and restructuring, but it leaves them depleted of really exciting stuff. A little discipline in spacing the introductions might have served them well, but they're benefiting from a lot of positive buzz right now so I'd say its working for them.
I used to really be into muscle cars (still like them) and every model year had some design tweak to differentiate it. So when you put it in that light, these 3 MY refreshes look pretty reasonable.
toye says:
10:16 AM, 04/21/11
I think you can say that Hyundai is being just as agressive if not more with product replacement like Ford is. It's good to see an American car company doing this!!
exnevadan says:
03:36 PM, 04/21/11
maybe by then they'll have gotten the wheels right
fltrucker says:
09:11 PM, 04/21/11
The Escape is coming out this year.
adb4 says:
04:29 AM, 04/25/11
An excellent question for Ford that they didn't answer. What they did provide is an answer to the question, "Why are you updating the Taurus"? Seems like they risk buyers deciding not to buy the Taurus now until the updated one comes out a year from now. Equally good question: What about the MKS? The MKS came out BEFORE the Taurus and arguably is also in need of a facelift (and the installation of MyLincoln Touch). Where is that vehicle?