WisBusiness: New Ford Taurus has Wisconsin connections

By Tracy Will

WisBusiness.com

MADISON — Wisconsin Ford dealers in Madison Monday got to test drive the new Ford Taurus, a new version of the popular family sedan with a few Wisconsin connections.

UAW workers at the 130th Street and Torrence Avenue assembly plant in Chicago will produce the car using a variety of Wisconsin fasteners from Miniature Precision Components in Walworth, Polymer Technologies in Whitewater and ITW Deltar in Chippewa Falls.

“We signed a new agreement with the union earlier this year that help us to remain very competitive in terms of our cost structure,” Ford representative Mark Truby said.

Northern Engraving in La Crosse produced engraved nameplates for the new Taurus, and American Metal Technologies in Sturtevant, Wis, produced specialty metal components for the once-abandoned model that Ford has resurrected in a stylish new design.

The Euro-styled Taurus, with front-wheel and all-wheel drive option, is expected to compete with several German and Japanese luxury sedans, Truby said. The base model gets 28 miles per gallon on the highway.The popular SHO 365-horsepower motor, which boasts 25 miles per gallon on the highway, is also an option in this upscale car that Ford has pinned its hopes on for sales rebounds in the sedan market.

“The better the car does, the better it is for the plant, the better it is for the union and for us,” Truby said. “When you have a hot car that doesn’t stick around on dealer lots for very long, that’s a great thing for everybody involved in the enterprise, and we are counting on the UAW for building a car of unmatched quality at the Chicago Assembly Plant. That’s a good plant.”

“The Taurus name itself is still well recognized, it is still well liked. People are wowed about the new styling,” Truby said. “It’s a new day for Ford and a new day for the Taurus.”