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CEO of Ford, Alan Mulally recently said the 2010 Taurus would be "the one we should have made originally." At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the automaker finally took the wraps off the new model - and everyone had the opportunity to walk around the models on display.

Ford will reposition the Taurus to become more of a personal luxury sedan, the likes of which have not been seen wearing a Ford badge in many, many years. Ford has decided to combine elements of its "Bold American" and European "Kinetic" design language for the 2010 model.

The new Taurus is powered by the automaker's 3.5-liter V6 Duratec engine, mated to one of two available six-speed automatic transmissions, including SelectShift with shift paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. As was the case with the previous model, all-wheel-drive is optional.

The V6 motor delivers an estimated 263 horsepower and 249 foot-pounds of torque. It earns a ULEV-II emissions certification and comes paired with a choice of two new six-speed automatic transmissions. Initially, the car will be offered in SE and SEL trim levels. Ford says it plans to offer a performance-oriented EcoBoost model, with an announcement regarding availability coming soon.

Critically, the new 2010 Taurus will start at $25,995 - the same price as 2009 model. The uplevel SEL starts at $27,995 and the top-end Limited will set buyers back $31,995.

Taurus features a long list of high-tech features, including: Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning, Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, MyKey parental programmability, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert, Rain-Sensing Wipers, EasyFuel capless refueling, Ford SYNC and Voice-Activated Navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link.