1986 Ford Motor Company Model Lineup Updates
The Dearborn troops had the hammer down and were taking no prisoners. The newly minted design philosophy seemed to be paying off with brisk sales and increased market share, mostly at the expense of the General. Until April 1985 the Cavalier was America’s best selling car. Then in May and June the Escort took over that top spot convincingly. Similar success stories could be found up and down the Ford car line.
Undoubtedly the big news for 1986 was the introduction of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. With these two cars, Ford’s program of making its cars looked and performed differently from everything else on the road now came fully on line. The other major news was the introduction of the Aerostar minivan. Ford was the last of the big Detroit makers to introduce a vehicle in this segment. Chrysler beat everybody to the punch with the Caravan two years prior and GM introduced its Astro version in 1985.
Two changes effected virtually across the board. One was the installation of the federally mandated center high mounted stop light (CHMSL), and the other was a single key for door and ignition locks.
The rest of the Ford lineup included a number of changes that qualified mainly as evolutionary
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