Famous Brands That Avoided Bankruptcy Thanks to a Single Product

Ford’s first-generation Taurus was unveiled in 1985 and sold as a 1986 model, arriving when American automakers faced intense pressure from increasingly competitive Japanese manufacturers. Its aerodynamic shape looked dramatically different from the boxy sedans filling American roads, while its front-wheel-drive architecture and carefully designed interior reflected a major effort to rethink Ford’s mainstream family car. Developing the Taurus represented a significant corporate gamble, with Ford investing heavily in a model expected to demonstrate that the company could build a thoroughly modern mass-market automobile. Consumers responded enthusiastically. The Taurus became one of America’s highest-selling passenger cars and helped establish rounded, aerodynamic styling as a dominant automotive trend during the late 1980s and 1990s. It was not literally the sole product preventing Ford from disappearing, but its success arrived during a crucial period in the company’s recovery from severe early-1980s losses. More importantly, it changed perceptions of what an American family sedan could look like.