Caught: The next Ford Falcon?

Is this the next Ford Falcon?

Spied slipping into the country at Sydney airport, this US-built Ford Taurus SHO is one option to replace the condemned Falcon in 2016.

Ford recently confirmed the Falcon would cease production when it closes its Australian plants in three years’ time, officially ending one of the world’s longest running nameplates.

The Taurus in question, snapped here in transit, was eventually shipped to Ford engineers in Melbourne.

What for, we can only speculate, but it’s clear the Taurus is a viable Falcon replacement.

The imported car is a Taurus SHO, a turbo-charged, 272kW all-wheel-drive sedan that’s similar in power to the current Falcon G6E Turbo.

Ford has sold the Taurus in Australia before, but it was a sales flop throughout the 1990s and discontinued after two years.