2016 will see the launch of an all-new Ford Taurus, the sedan that literally helped to save Ford back in the late 1980s. No longer the mid-size sedan it originally was, today's Taurus is a big sucker and even the SHO trim is no longer really competitive. The Taurus is also built on an old Volvo platform and the new Fusion is such a good car that it makes the former a harder sell. Today we're hearing early word about the redesigned Taurus.

It will be lighter and more fuel efficient than the current car. What's more is that it'll ditch the Volvo platform in favor of the Fusion's. Basically that structure will be lengthened and widened. The 2016 Taurus will obviously be much lighter than it currently is, which really hurts fuel economy. For example, the Taurus SHO weighs about as much as an Audi A8 L. Yeah, that's not good. No word on engine options just yet, but we do know the next Taurus will feature a nine-speed automatic transmission. There's also no indication whether or not the high-performance SHO will return.