Ford used NAIAS to introduce its 2010 Taurus, a full-size car (D-Segment) aimed at the North American market. During its glory days in the '80s and early '90s, the Taurus nameplate was used on a midsize family car, but now it will become a flagship for the Ford brand. Thus, the design team had to "elevate the game" by creating a car with dramatic proportions, powerful lines and yet a certain sophistication and gracefulness. Vice President of Design, Peter Horbury, says that this gracefulness comes from the line that starts off at the front wheel and then falls downwards toward the rear, which was very much part of the American cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Given the vehicle's dual purpose, it's no surprise that the surface treatment could never be called clean or uncluttered. The front end, while carrying over the three-bar theme from the grille, is inspired by the recent work of Martin Smith's European division, particularly in the treatment of the trapezoidal lower grille. In its shape, the rear of the Taurus borrows a lot from the Interceptor concept of 2007. While this car shares its underpinnings with the Lincoln MKS, the design team chose to implement a new roof design that would give the car a lower stance - a courageous but costly decision.
Horbury calls the interior treatment "driver centric", because "when the driver is on his own, he will feel that this is his personal car". Attention has been paid to craftsmanship, and designers "sculptured the trims to convey the message of luxury". The latter is particularly true of the steering wheel, with its palm swells and F1-type shifters.
Given the vehicle's dual purpose, it's no surprise that the surface treatment could never be called clean or uncluttered. The front end, while carrying over the three-bar theme from the grille, is inspired by the recent work of Martin Smith's European division, particularly in the treatment of the trapezoidal lower grille. In its shape, the rear of the Taurus borrows a lot from the Interceptor concept of 2007. While this car shares its underpinnings with the Lincoln MKS, the design team chose to implement a new roof design that would give the car a lower stance - a courageous but costly decision.
Horbury calls the interior treatment "driver centric", because "when the driver is on his own, he will feel that this is his personal car". Attention has been paid to craftsmanship, and designers "sculptured the trims to convey the message of luxury". The latter is particularly true of the steering wheel, with its palm swells and F1-type shifters.