Like Taurus, Mercury Sable nameplate to return

As if renaming the Five Hundred to Taurus wasn't enough of a surprise, Ford may also announce plans this week to rename the Mercury Montego to Mercury Sable, according to the Chicago Tribune.



The name changes are the work of Ford's new CEO Alan Mulally, who thought the millions invested in developing awareness of the Taurus and Sable names should not be thrown away.

According to this latest report, Freestyle is in line for a name change as well. Its new name might include an "X" to denote a crossover.

The redesigned Mercury Montego has not yet been unveiled, but spy photographers captured images of a nearly complete prototype almost two weeks ago. It's a strong possibility, then, that the new Sable will debut this week at the Chicago auto show.