Ford Unveils Taurus X, Revives Sable Nameplate

CHICAGO — In a bid to get back to the glory days of the 1990s, Ford on Wednesday changed the names of the Ford Five Hundred and the Mercury Montego back to the old Taurus and Sable monikers. It also rechristened the Ford Freestyle, which will be called the Taurus X crossover when it goes on sale as a 2008 model late this summer.

"Taurus has been an icon for Ford's family sedan for more than two decades, and it's time to return this powerful name to where it belongs," said Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas. "Consumer awareness of the Taurus name is double the Five Hundred that it's replacing, and awareness of the Sable is triple that of Montego."

Perhaps the most interesting news from the Dearborn automaker, however, was the confirmation that another large Ford crossover, based on the Ford Fairlane concept, will make its debut later this year and go on sale in 2008. The automaker did not release any specifics about the new crossover.

The 2008 Ford Taurus will go on sale this summer, replacing the Ford Five Hundred. The Five Hundred gets a Ford Fusion-like exterior and standard electronic stability control. The automaker says the Taurus X gets the "same design" as the Freestyle and will have three rows, one-touch flip-and-fold second-row seating and an optional power rear liftgate.

The 2008 Mercury Sable goes on sale this summer and will replace the Mercury Montego.