Ford canceling Taurus X and Mercury Sable

Although recently named one of the safest cars in the U.S., the Mercury Sable is on the chopping block at Ford, along with its stablemate, the Taurus X crossover. Both are pinned to the Ford Taurus (previously called the Ford FiveHundred), which is being redesigned.

Neither the X nor the Sable have had much success in the marketplace, even though the Sable has received pretty high accolades (for safety, pricing and comfort). However, the public just didn’t like the Sable’s bland styling, and Ford is introducing the next generation of the Taurus in the spring.

The Taurus X is being phased out in place of the new Ford Flex, which is admittedly a much better vehicle, even if its boxy styling is a bit controversial.

Personally, in my opinion the Sable was a slightly better-looking vehicle than the Taurus, but both are pretty boring to look at and drive. Ford didn’t advertise the Taurus/Sable/Taurus X nearly as much as the Fusion, and thus sales suffered.

Did Detroit Oversell?

Apparently the Big Three U.S. automakers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) are finding out their business plan over the last few years wasn’t much of a plan at all. By pushing cars, trucks and vans to millions of Americans who couldn’t actually afford them, they created their own “auto bubble”.

CNN published an article today title “Pop goes the market: Detroit’s auto bubble woes” that chronicles the numerous mistakes Detroit made in offering 0% financing (among other creative financing options) plus huge rebates and cash back offers. Not only did the strong sales make the automakers think they were on the right track, it also caused them to make some risky deals with the UAW that they can no longer live up to thanks to the down economy:

The strong sales also allowed General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler LLC to generate healthy profits, which led them to agree to contracts with the United Auto Workers union that they ultimately couldn’t afford over the long-haul.

10 Most Decadent Car Options

Ok, so you think your $100 all-weather mats or $2,000 navigation unit upgrades are pricey. Check out this list from Car and Driver of the 10 most expensive (and truly decadent) vehicle options:

Here’s my take:

10. BMW Comfort Access: $500-$1000. I don’t understand why it’s so expensive. Our Chevy Malibu had remote start for like $100-150 extra (even on the base model), and our VW Passat, MINI Cooper and Honda Ridgeline all roll down their windows via the key remote (just hit unlock twice and hold it down on the second press). It wasn’t an extra option at all, it just does it.

9. Porsche Customized Leather List:$365 for leather-covered vent slats: Why do you need leather on your vents? Why don’t you just ride a cow around the track?

8. Mercedes Benz Designo Interior: $12,015 for the Designo interior. Although you may think velour floor mats are ridiculous because they would get ruined with rain and snow, you’re right. But 12-large for a designer leather interior? Makes the Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer option look like a steal!

Meet the New Honda Prius…Wait, What?

Look at that photo and tell me what you see. If you’re like me, you see slightly restyled Toyota Prius. But we’d both be wrong; that’s not a Prius.

That’s the newly redesigned Honda Insight Hybrid.

Normally we hear about the Koreans copying designs from the Japanese, Americans or Germans for their new models, but now the Japanese are copying each other! Whodathunkit?

So basically Honda has restyled the Insight to no longer be super-efficient 2-door model (although from marketing shots, one should be available eventually). Rather, they’ve upgraded it to 4 doors and 5 passengers. Unfortunately, though, it sounds like it still won’t be a “true hybrid” where the car can run on the battery alone. Instead, it will continue to use Integrated Motor Assist like in the Civic to aid the electric motor at low speeds. The car will also shut off when idling as with other hybrids.

The Insight will be smaller, lighter and (hopefully) less expensive than the Civic Hybrid, but pricing isn’t out yet. The vehicle is expected to premier at the Paris auto show in October.