DETROIT (AP) -- The 2010 Ford Taurus, which rolled off a Chicago assembly line for the first time Tuesday, was awarded the top safety rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
The institute gave the Taurus the top rating after the full-size sedan earned "good" marks in front, side and rear crash tests. Cars must also be equipped with electronic stability control, which comes standard on the Taurus, to receive the highest rating.
"Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results," said IIHS president Adrian Lund in a written statement.
Ford has completely revamped the Taurus, which was the best-selling car in the U.S. for five years. Introduced in late 1985, the company had all but given up on the model by 2006, with the closing of an Atlanta plant dedicated to making the car.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally ordered engineers to bring back the family sedan -- temporarily renamed the Ford Five Hundred -- because of its name recognition.
Ford retooled its Chicago Assembly Plant, investing more than $130 million to make the Taurus, which comes with most of Ford's latest technologies, such as cross traffic radars, collision warnings, and blind spot detection. Prices on the Taurus start at $25,995.
