The sheet has just been lifted off the new Ford Taurus Police Interceptor from Ford Motor Co. (F). Suffice it to say that this car is not your sheriff's Crown Victoria.

A leading edge report from The Mustang News reveals that the new Police Interceptor seeks to squelch the giggles that arose late last year when patrol cruiser enthusiasts learned that Ford would be building it's next interceptor on a revived Taurus platform. It appears that Ford put some significant thought behind this effort.

With Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) having its worst-ever financial quarter, the global carmaker -- with former Boeing exec Alan Mulally at the helm -- has a very ambitious plan to return to profitability in 2008. Seeing as that time will be here before we all know it, Ford needs to start today to execute the pieces of this strategy that will get it there.

To help that plan along its course, Ford will be taking one of its most popular nameplates in the last few decades and will resurrect the Taurus brand of passenger cars to try to help the passenger car division get back on its feet. The Taurus was so popular in the late 80s and 90s that it makes complete sense for Ford to do this.

The Taurus and Toyota'a Camry had some fantastic battles recently on claiming stake to the most popular car in America. Perhaps Ford wants to try and recapture some of that magic by re-introducing the nameplate in dealer showrooms.

The catch? The automaker's slow-selling but powerful Five Hundred line will be renamed the Taurus -- no real changes (so far) other than that. Ahh, the power of branding.