Ford Begins Selling Taurus Built for Japan

A 1996 Taurus, Ford Motor Co.’s first car designed specially for the Japanese market, rolled out at dealerships Tuesday with a lower price and a key new feature: the steering wheel on the right-hand side.

For years, Japan’s government has depicted U.S. auto makers as whining about a closed market while not being serious about selling cars in Japan because they tried to market American-style vehicles with steering wheels on the left. Because the Japanese drive on the left side of the street, most cars sold in Japan have right-hand drive.

“This car is a fine example of how our firms have been successful in working to develop products appropriate for this market,” U.S. Ambassador Walter F. Mondale told reporters at an unveiling ceremony.

Ford has cut $2,300 from the price of last year’s Taurus GL station wagon, the most popular model. The new sticker price of $27,700 is $1,000 lower than that of the Toyota Scepter station wagon.

In the United States, the Taurus wagon starts at about $19,700.

Ford has launched an aggressive advertising campaign for the Taurus, unusual for U.S. auto makers in Japan. Despite a nearly 50% climb in sales, U.S. auto makers sold just 97,380 vehicles here last year, 1.4% of the Japanese market.

Ford, which has been selling Tauruses in Japan since 1988, hopes for sales of 18,000 this year, up from 5,000 last year. The Taurus has been America’s best-selling car for the last four years, with 366,266 sold last year.