Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Taurus Never LeftWhile the Taurus exited the North American market in 2019, it never really left for good. If anything, it began forming a new identity even before the American model was discontinued. At first, it was a model unique to China, a stretched Mondeo, but it was eventually offered in the Middle East under the same name.Eventually, the Chinese market opted to use the Mondeo name, but the Middle East market continued with Taurus. It's currently a Mondeo under a different guise, but given the strong equity of the Taurus over there, the name hung on. Now, it's been given a bit of a facelift.FordA Middle Eastern MondeoThe new Taurus is effectively an exported Mondeo out of China. Given that it was facelifted for 2026, it was only natural that the Taurus got the same treatment. Turns out, it's still a strong seller in the Middle East, where midsize sedans continue to thrive despite crossovers and SUVs.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs far as we can tell, there are no sheetmetal differences between it and the Chinese Mondeo. The new, sharper front-end treatment is there, along with a few more tweaks to the bumpers and the rear end.However, the same couldn't be said about the interior. Unlike the Mondeo, the Taurus largely retains the pre-facelift model's layout, opting for a dual-screen layout instead of a triple. Screens aside, the rest of the cabin looks identical to the model sold in The Middle Kingdom. That said, it does come with a different infotainment system, as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not offered in China.FordSpec CheckIt may say "Taurus" on the trunk lid, but its dimensions are more like those of the Fusion. After all, the Fusion was literally the North American Mondeo, so that probably won't come as a surprise. The new Taurus measures 194.3 inches long, 73.8 wide, 59.0 inches tall, while riding on a 115.9-inch wheelbase. It's not as big as the last American Taurus, but its wheelbase is even longer than that of a Crown Victoria.Two powertrain options are available for the 2027 Taurus. Its base engine is a 1.5-liter hybrid with a combined output of 205 hp, while the electric motor alone produces 173 lb-ft. Opt for the pure combustion engine, and that's a 2.0-liter turbo producing 239 hp and 282 lb-ft of torque. Curiously, the turbo engine is detuned compared to the Chinese Mondeo, which makes 251hp and 288 lb-ft.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Taurus that America can't get is available in three trims, namely Ambiente, Trend, and Titanium. All variants, including the base Ambiente, can be equipped with either the hybrid or turbo powertrains. For transmissions, it's an e-CVT for the hybrid, and an eight-speed automatic for the turbo. Sadly, there is no SHO equivalent.FordStill Not For America?While Ford did say that sedans are back on the table, the odds of the Fusion-sized Taurus are still slim to none. The fact that it's assembled in China already presents a huge barrier in bringing it stateside, but it's worth noting that it shares the same platform as the Maverick and Bronco Sport. Indeed, its chassis is engineered for international markets, including North America, but it's really the prohibitive tariffs that block its chances.In China, the Mondeo starts at under $30,000, so the midsize sedan is quite the bargain. Over in Saudi Arabia, the Taurus has a base price of just over $30,000, which is a more realistic figure considering it has standard hybrid power. It's not that we'll ever see it in the U.S., though, so the default choices in the midsize sedan market will remain the Camry and Accord.FordThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Jun 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.