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My Outer Banks version will be Area 51.....love it!!

The solid window version is from Ford but has not yet been confirmed for production. They’re soliciting customer feedback.

Where is @PREMiERdrum when you need him? Some hints would be appreciated.

As for the Edge and Nautilus, I think its a complete non-starter for them to be built in China and shipped to the US. I'm not sure if the Edge does that well there (hasn't done well in the EU either) and both have there own replacements coming-the three Row Escape/Kuga and the Equator in China. I still think they will be picked up at OHAP as BEVs...the timing and supposed positioning of them works.

You’re welcome and I hope so. I hope these young minds innovate great new ideas.

Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant had so many problems building 2020 Explorer and Aviator that many of those vehicles had to be sent to another plant (Flat Rock in Michigan) for repairs. Ford set up tents at the other plant to store repair parts. These issues for 2020 Explorer and Aviator go beyond the hostile work environment that has plagued Chicago Assembly Plant for a long time. Racism, sexism, gang activity, etc.

The AWD Edge is done in aug 2024. I was told this by union yesterday. That will be the last model in production. Nautilus and all other Edges done in 23. I was told half of BEV units will be shipped to Europe because of CETA (Canadian European Trade Agreement). They said retooling could be 5-16 months! I doubt 16 months.I suppose with this trade agreement it’s cheaper for Ford to ship to EU from Oakville.

This image is not a DORA but the preview image generated through the WBDO (Web Based Dealer Order) system. The only practical difference is that scheduled orders will include the "Ship To" information with the dealership address. Calling up the order display in the WBDO system for a scheduled order is still labeled as a "Preview" though. The preview image includes all of the information included on the traditional DORA, it's just not labeled as such. The traditional DORA's are generated through the old CONCEPS ordering system which is now only used for fleet order entry and other functions. DORA's are sent each night to the dealership's terminal which the dealership can then print out. That print out is the only document that will show a DORA header and is basically obsolete at this point as order status is available 24/7 via the WBDO system and Vehicle Visibility. For many years I maintained a DORA book for every order (Stock, Retail & Fleet) in our dealership's order bank that I would update on a regular basis. I eliminated the DORA book last year because it was too time consuming, generated a lot of paperwork and was just too inefficient with the online resources available. Hope this helps!

I wasn’t even considering Area 51 due to how it looks in some of the pictures we have seen, but it looks great in these pics.

What you need to understand is that strong sales don’t necessarily mean that those compacts are high profit, they’re just recreating the same situation that exists in midsized cars. Toyota may continue to sell 300k Camry and +400K RAV4 but there’s absolutely no guarantee that it adds more than chump change to the bottom line compared to Ford and GM’s full-size Trucks and utilities. A lot of the other manufacturers are besotted with the pride of gaining market percentage in segments where Ford is trying different things that reduce sales and add profit, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. If you look at Ford’s plan, it’s all about capping production and finding a way of increasing profits on the 2.5-2.6 million vehicles it sell in the US every year. Ford has to find a way for those sales volumes to work and the best way is to substitute products with a better chance of making more profit, instead of just pandering to buyers that want lowest price plus a high level of content. i do believe that the profit machinery inside ford has been broken for a few years now and they need to find the way back. Bronco and Bronco Sport may be the start of that.

Or the fact that among retailers, Walmart is on there and Best Buy isn't.

Let's see...Ford has gone back into the dust pan of history and brought back Ranger, then Bronco, Maverick, Mach 1, and what is next. My bet is Thundebird. It's about time for a Thunderbird...every bit as iconic as Bronco.

I wish they would offer the B&O system a la carte across the board

No doubt, and maybe that is true with other luxury makes as well, but the entire owner experience for me as a Black Label owner has been a ruse. Just spent an hour on the phone with a Concierge. Maybe now the experience will improve moving forward, but I have my doubts.