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Ford Taurus loses its curves
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March 30, 1999: 7:22 p.m. ET
2000 model has more functional look; GM's Wagoner plans Asian growth
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Domestic automakers began unveiling the vehicles that will lead them into the new century Tuesday, including a more subtly designed Ford Taurus that company officials hope will reclaim the mantra of America's best-selling car.
Ken Kohrs, Ford's vice president of large and luxury vehicles, gave members of the media a sneak preview of the 2000 Taurus at the New York Auto Show.
Ford's new Taurus loses some of its oval shape in favor of a more traditional look.
Kohrs said the vehicle's enhanced safety features and "refined styling" should help continue the momentum generated by the current Taurus, whose sales rose dramatically after Ford reduced its price last October.
Also unveiled today were the 2000 Chevrolet Suburban and the 2000 GMC Yukon, two popular sport/utility vehicles that General Motors officials said will play a critical part in the company's future.
But the Taurus attracted most of the media's attention. Ford's popular sedan which was toppled from its perch as America's best selling car in 1997 by the Toyota Camry. The car's popularity continued to slip until last October, when Ford slashed the car's price by $1,000 and saw an 18 percent jump in monthly sales.
The 2000 model replaces some of the Taurus' trademark curves and rounded edges with a more traditional, sleek exterior body. Only the chassis returns from the 1999 model.
"Three years ago, maybe, just maybe, we pushed the envelope just a little too far," Kohrs said of the Taurus' body. "Here, we've taken a more refined styling approach, a much more traditional and a much more functional approach."
Consumer-friendly interior improvements include additional front and back headroom, a standard emergency trunk release system and the addition of pedals that can be adjusted to suit the driver's height, a feature made popular by Ford's Expedition and Mazda's Navigator models.
As it has the past few years, Ford will market the car's safety features above all else, including an advanced restraint system that regulates air bag inflation depending on crash severity, front-seat safety belt usage and driver seat position sensors.
"I think the company's culture has changed a lot," said James G. O'Connor, Ford division's president. "It's become more brand focused and concentrated on driving that focus down to the name plates. With this car, safety is the concern."
Ford officials aren't yet discussing a price tag for the new vehicle, saying only it will continue to cost less than $20,000. The 1999 model currently carries a sticker price of $17,999.
Company officials said new technology will allow Ford to keep costs under control. Last year, Taurus sales rose 3.9 percent to more than 370,000.
GM targets SUV, overseas growth
While Ford used the occasion to highlight its popular sedan, General Motors Corp. focused attention on its mighty SUVs.
"The SUV market is the hottest market in the business," said GM Vice President Roy Roberts. "This platform is a critical component of GM's future."
New features on the GM Yukon include a fold-down third seat, dual climate controls, a sunroof, and a 23 percent increase in body stiffness.
GM has high hopes for the Yukon
The Suburban features improved interior leg room and cargo space, accomplished by moving the spare tire underneath the vehicle. The SUV also boasts a self-leveling shock system, improved traction control and 2003 compliant head impact safety features.
And even bigger hopes for the Suburban
At a morning speech, GM President G. Richard Wagoner Jr. said he his company's position as the world's largest automaker is secure moving forward and promised continued improvements in GM's overseas presence, particularly in Asia.
He declined to rule out an acquisition in that part of the world, where GM currently holds a 4 percent market share, but said currently "there's nothing going on."
He said his company took "a look at Nissan and decided it wasn't right for us." Instead, GM plans to build on its current Asian operations, an area Wagoner projected will outpace North American and European combined auto sales during the next 10 years.
As for domestic sales, Wagoner said, "It's hard to find something to be pessimistic about, save one: The trade imbalance." Moving forward, he said he expects at least half of GM's brand name products to be "new or innovative," responding to criticism the company hasn't done a good job developing and promoting new product lines.
GM (GM)shares closed Tuesday at 87-3/8, down 1/8 while Ford (F) fell 1/2 to 56-5/8.
-- by staff writer Tom Johnson
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