The front and rear clips were also redesigned on the Taurus and Sable sedans; all body panels were brand-new except the doors.

The grille was made smaller, with the chrome bar removed, replaced by just a large Ford logo in the center.

The taillights were slightly redesigned, originally to include amber turn signals, but this was cancelled at the eleventh hour.

This system, at the time of a collision, would detect the driver and passenger's positions as well as seatbelt usage, and would inflate the airbags to match, possibly preventing airbag-related injuries.

Among the changes were a new instrument cluster, wheels, as well as a slight redesign of the dash, with woodgrain replacing the black trim.

[7] For 2002, 2003 and 2004, the SES model received a "Sport" package, which consisted of five-spoked rims known as "slicers", and the Duratec engine standard.

In addition, the exterior of the vehicle received Sport badging on the front quarter-panels, the chrome bar on the grille was changed to body color, the interior received two-toned cloth seats, a two-toned dash applique, special "Sport" floor mats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

[9] Having already lost its status as the best selling car in America when it was surpassed by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in 1997, by 2005 it was no longer in the top ten in sales.

Production ended on October 27, 2006, as Ford idled the Atlanta plant, as part of its "The Way Forward" restructuring plan.

The last Ford Taurus rolled off the assembly line around 7:00am,[11] destined for delivery to S. Truett Cathy, owner of Chick-fil-A.

The discontinuation of the Taurus sparked debate given its once-strong position in the market and Ford's well-publicized financial problems at the time.

Analysts, customers and some interviewed Ford employees criticized the company for failing to invest in the car and keep it competitive, instead focusing all of its resources on developing and marketing trucks and SUVs.

[15][16] A USA Today editorial entitled "How Ford starved its Taurus" noted that the Taurus' death was part of a broader trend of the Detroit Big Three willingly abandoning once-successful nameplates and divisions in search of "the next big thing", while their foreign competitors have been gaining market share by continuously improving their veteran nameplates.

[19] Newly-hired Ford CEO Alan Mulally expressed similar opinions, telling the Associated Press the decision "perplexed" him when he learned about it; he recalled asking subordinates, "How can it go away?

"[14] As the successor Five Hundred was struggling in the marketplace, Mulally viewed the decision to discontinue the Taurus as a "mistake that needed to be fixed", noting, "The customers want it back.

"[14] At the time, Ford had already unveiled a face-lifted Five Hundred at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, which had revised styling and a more powerful engine.