Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) unveiled the new Taurus sedan ahead of the Shanghai auto show. The car is aimed at the Chinese market and targets high-end customers.
The Taurus was made the centrepiece of four vehicles unveiled ahead of the Shanghai auto show. The car, also described as “a new premium business sedan for China” looks like a larger Fusion, having a similar grille, headlights and profile.
The car has been styled with business customers in mind. This includes reclining seats and more legroom. The car has multi-piece LED taillights connected by bright chrome bar and integrated chrome exhaust tips. The car is also suited for the Chinese auto market where most high-end cars are driven by chauffeurs rather than being self-driven.
Due to most high-end cars being driven by chauffeurs the passenger seats are the most important in the Chinese market. The Taurus has power reclining rear seats with adjustable support and a massage function. There is also car media and a control panel for air conditioning.
According to Trevor Worthington, Ford’s VP for product development for Asia Pacific, the car is aimed at the high-end non-luxury market. He further added that car’s features were benchmarked against premium models.
The car has a new twin-turbo 2.7 litre Ecoboost V6 engine with a yet unspecified power rating. The new Taurus will be built at the Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant in China. The investment is worth about $769 million. The plant is the sixth in the country and has a maximum annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles.
The Taurus is released at a time when Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is looking at an increasingly tough competition in China. Its Q12015 sales in China grew 9% that was lower than previous growth in double digits. The Chinese auto market is cooling down as the economic growth slows and new car models enter the market.
