Ford brings the new 2010 Taurus SHO to Atlanta

By Karl W. Ritzler

First Ford brought back the Taurus, fitting the well-tested
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
The Ford Taurus SHO

name to its full-size sedan formerly known as the Five Hundred.
Now, the company has taken another step to boost the brand by looking at its heritage. It has introduced the 2010 Taurus SHO as the top-of-the-line trim option.
It’s not just a bunch of fancy gizmos and leather seats stuffed into a regular Taurus, either. The new Taurus SHO has a more aggressive look and a powerful, yet economical, powerplant.
Earl Lucas, who led Ford’s design team for the new Taurus, showed off the new vehicle before it got its Atlanta debut at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution International Auto Show, going on this week at the Georgia World Congress Center.
It’s more expressive, a “me” car – as in look at me – Lucas said, while fulfilling design goals of being American, strong and modern and still keeping Ford design DNA.
The faces for all the ’10 models are more aggressive than their predecessors. But the SHO adds an extra touch behind with a deck-mounted spoiler and twin chrome exhaust tips.
“There’s nothing wring with a full-size car being expressive,” Lucas said.
Under the hood is Ford’s Eco-boost V-6 engine, which Lucas said will deliver the power of a V-8 and mileage in the mid-20s mpg.
The SHO, he said, “speaks to the enthusiast.”
John Felice, marketing manager for Ford, credited fans of the old SHO for bring the new one to production. “This car wouldn’t have been built without the enthusiasts,” he said.
“We wanted to stick to the core nameplate, yet keep it fresh,” Felice said of the redesign.
There are four trim lines on the ’10 Taurus: SE, which will be priced the same as its ’09 version; SEL; Limited; and SHO, which is aimed at the sportier driver who still wants a full-size sedan.
The Taurus is Ford’s flagship car, and the redesign reflects the company’s response to tighter times. The whole process took a little under three years, nearly a full year shorter than a redesign in the past. The car is being built at Ford’s Chicago plant, which once was a twin with the now-closed Hapeville Taurus plant.