The Ford Taunus is a family car that was sold by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 onward were built on the same basic construction as the Ford Cortina MkIII in the United Kingdom, and later on, the two car models were essentially the same, differing almost only in the placement of the steering wheel. The model line was named after the Taunus mountain range in Germany, and was first made in 1939, and continued through several versions until 1994.

Ford-Werke GmbH is a German-based car manufacturing factory headquartered in Merkenich- Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a fully owned subsidiary of American Ford Motor Company, which operates two large manufacturing facilities in Germany, a plant in Cologne and a plant in Saarlouis and serves as a major hub for the Automaker's presence in the European markets.