The new 2010 Ford Taurus takes craftsmanship and attention to detail to a whole new level. Ford’s new flagship model made its Middle Eastern debut at the GITEX Technology Week (18-22 October 2009) as the official car of the region’s largest information and communication technologies platform.
Outside, Taurus quality is evident in body panel gap margins that rival costly German sedans. This improved craftsmanship is the result of the expanded use of computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering during the Taurus development cycle.
“The digital tools we now use in the design phase and the product development process are so sophisticated that we can design, refine, test and assemble the Taurus in the virtual realm,†said Pete Reyes, Taurus chief engineer. “We can delay going to ‘hard tooling’, which improves quality, speeds development time, and saves money. It’s a win-win-win.â€
A stiffer Taurus body structure also contributes to the quality a customer can see, but also enhances the driving experience the driver can feel.
On the inside, Taurus quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail are direct results of three factors: Technology, Improved materials and Assembly methodology.
“The door panels are a terrific example of technology adding to Taurus craftsmanship,†said Lon Zaback, interior design manager. “With our supplier partner, we’ve developed a cost-effective method to give each of the interior door panels, within a Taurus, a hand-crafted appeal, a unique texture and a signature all its own.â€
While each door in a Taurus interior has the same designed appearance, this unique process gives each interior panel a “fingerprintâ€. The concept of “mass customization†means that a customer – looking closely – will see minute textural differences between each door in their Taurus – as if each one was hand-wrapped individually.
Improved materials, in all types of interior surfaces, are softer to the touch. Improved padding, backing up these softer surfaces, allow for significantly improved Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) control levels.
Another element of attention to detail in the Taurus interior design is the reduction of gaps between panels. An improved assembly process makes this craftsmanship possible. The center console is assembled into the vehicle which creates an integrated look, rather than being a sub-assembly created elsewhere and added as a complete unit.
Since its launch in North America earlier this summer, the all-new Taurus has been no stranger to awards and recognitions including a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, and the Esquire magazine’s inaugural Car of The Year.
Visitors to GITEX ’09 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) will have the chance to see the all-new Taurus at the Ford stand inside the Sheikh Saeed Hall. Show visitors also can win a brand new 2010 Ford Taurus Limited model when taking part in the show’s raffle.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
Ford Motor Company’s history in the Middle East goes back to over 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 55 facilities in the region and directly employ over 4,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals. For more information on Ford Middle East, please visit www.me.ford.com.
Ford Middle East is also a responsible corporate citizen in the region, with the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, a grass-root level program that has offered nearly USD800,000 in grants to over 100 Middle Eastern environmental projects since 2000. For more information, please visit www.me.ford.com
