Et Cetera Taurus Triumphant

For the first time since 1988, the nation's best-selling car did not bear a Japanese nameplate. The winner for 1992: the Ford Taurus, which ended the Honda Accord's three-year reign as top seller in the U.S. After a frantic last-minute sales blitz, which included generous rebates and below-cost offers to dealers, Ford won the crown by shipping 409,751 Tauruses. Despite a lackluster year for car sales in general, Ford executives had much to celebrate: the company's share of the new-car market pushed above 20%, as GM's and Chrysler's shrank.