The jelly-bean Ford Taurus was built on a statistician's lessons
Ford lost $3 billion between 1979 and 1982. Hunting for a fix, it hired the statistician W. Edwards Deming, who told executives that management caused 85% of the problems in making better cars. The Ford Taurus, launched in 1985, was the first model designed and built under the quality culture he inspired.
Chairman Donald Petersen pushed a team approach to design and manufacturing from 1980, and statistical process control was applied across every stage. The result replaced the slow-selling mid-size LTD and looked like nothing else on American roads. Its rounded shape, inspired by the Audi 5000 and Ford's European Sierra, earned nicknames such as the jelly bean and the flying potato, and its grille-less nose helped aerodynamics and fuel economy.
Inside, every switch was designed to be recognised by touch. Window and lock switches had one raised half and one recessed half, and the dashboard curved slightly around the driver so the controls sat within easy reach. Critics loved it: it was Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1986 and made Car and Driver's Ten Best list. The millionth was sold during the 1989 model year.
A 1992 redesign added length and weight, and the car became the first mid-size sedan sold in the United States with two standard airbags. From 1992 to 1996 it was America's best-selling car. The 1996 third generation went bold with ovals everywhere, including the rear window, and buyers disliked it; that year more than half of sales went to rental fleets. The Toyota Camry took the sales crown in 1997.
Losing ground to Japanese sedans and to Ford's own SUVs, the Taurus ended in 2006, only to be revived a year later on a Volvo-derived platform. Built throughout at Chicago Assembly, it finally bowed out in 2019.
Source: Ford Taurus
