Ford kills Mercury Sable and Taurus X and delays Fusion GT

Ford’s North American lineup will be experiencing a major overhaul over the next couple of years, with the entire lineup expected to be completely upgraded by 2010 and six new European models set to join the ranks. The biggest impact is the considerable shift towards smaller vehicles and more fuel-efficient power trains as both a near and mid-term response to changing demand. According to latest reports, the Mercury Sable sedan and Ford Taurus X crossover (pictured) will be the first casualties of the product line shakeup.

Both vehicles are built at the Ford’s Chicago assembly Plant, which recently began production of the Lincoln MKS sedan, and also produces the Ford Taurus sedan on the same platform. According to an official document leaked to The Detroit News, poor sales of both vehicles - down 25% for the Taurus X and 8% for the Sable – has led to a decision to drop them as early as next year. Ford sold just 2,276 Sables last month, down from 2,589 in July 2007. It sold 2,034 Taurus X models in July, down from 2,705 the year before.

The full-size Sable sedan doesn’t fit in with Ford’s plan to realign the Mercury brand with smaller cars and crossovers, while the introduction of the new Flex crossover makes the aging Taurus X redundant.

The launch of the Fusion GT, meanwhile, has also reportedly been delayed because of problems with development of its ‘EcoBoost’ V6 engine. According to MotorTrend, Ford will now wait until the next-generation of the Fusion arrives in late 2012 to roll-out the new performance GT. The new car is still expected to feature a 340hp (254kW) turbocharged and direct-injection V6 and a Haldex-sourced part time AWD system.

source: MotorAuthority