Ford's redesigned 2016 Taurus will reportedly be "lighter, faster and more fuel efficient" once it hits dealerships in 2015, according to Edmunds.

Interested customers should expect the automaker to cut the car's weight down significantly and a nine-speed automatic transmission will be offered as Ford tries to make all of its vehicles more fuel efficient.

The current Taurus was developed on a modified Volvo platform, but a source, who asked not to be identified, said the Taurus will share a front-drive-vehicle platform with the Ford Fusion, according to Edmunds.

"The problem with today's Taurus is that it is overweight and even the high performance SHO is not really competitive," said the source. "With all the power from the V6 EcoBoost, it is pretty hard to overcome the amount of mass that the SHO has to move."

Ford's Taurus SHO "actually weighs about as much as the stretched Audi A8 L. Of course, Audi uses an extensive amount of aluminum, but it is a much bigger car," the source added.

The rear overhand will be lengthened, and the wheelbase will be extended.

The source also confirmed that the Fusion platform will be "widened," according to Edmunds.

A fuel economy target has not been addressed as of press time for the 2016 model.

The Taurus competes with similar vehicles like the Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, and Nissan Maxima.

Expect the 2016 Taurus to be released in the third quarter of 2015, according to Edmunds.

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