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Hoping there’s a non chrome version

finally!

1am Central time tonight I believe. Officially it’s at 6pm AEDT 11/24/2021.

The Ranger's styling was never its strong point in the North American market IMO. It looks far too Asian/European vs what we expect to see in North America. The next gen Ranger fixes that IMO.

Jim Farley is working hard to ensure that Ford can improve affordability for BEV. He spoke about this back in September at the Detroit Homecoming VIII events. Ford CEO Farley calls for making EVs more affordable, bringing mining back to US (detroitnews.com)

Just like Janet Jackson showing her boob, this was strategic...not buying that it just "fell off"...

Hopefully they keep the blackout package they have now. Not only does it look much better than the chrome it's a damn good value.

Did it slip off, or did it "slip off" <wink-wink>

Just wanted to say thank you and get a picture of my truck in here, picked it up on October 28 right before my wedding and honeymoon and just got over 1000 miles last week!

Correct. Ford went for a transitional Lightning because that gets them in the BEV competition quicker while they play catch up in the background. Ford is stuck in fantasyland, thinking that Lightning won’t impact on ICE F150 production because those Lightning buyers are all coming from non-Ford brands but the truth is that those Lightning reservations stirred up a hornets nest, Ford was completely unprepared for the strong market response and I think that completing those orders is beyond Ford’s constrained abilities. Sorry to be a nay sayer here but I see big issues with Ford following through on this in a timely fashion.

Currently BEVs are too costly to buy for consumers. Have to get the cost down over the next 5 years which I suspect will happen.

I got my F-350 XLT in September, but wanted to wait until the vinyl was applied before posting pics. I'll spare the interior pics, but you get the idea. Wonder if Ford will ever offer this as a factory option again?

The concern I have is 2022 production of Lightning was only slated to be 15,000. If there’s any chance of delays or problems with supplies of frames or batteries, then that could easily delay Lightning to 2023 and a slower increase in production….. Maybe that’s overly pessimistic but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop with continuing supplier issues, Farley is painting a lot of blue sky here when Ford can’t get ICE production sorted yet……

Ford Dealers can submit vehicle orders via either the traditional CONCEPS ordering system or the newer WBDO (Web Based Dealer Ordering) system. Fleet orders and/or specification changes must be made via CONCEPS. The WBDO system only accepts stock (Dealer Stock, Demonstrator) orders and all variations of retail orders (Retail, A/X/D Plan, Etc.). Both ordering systems generate error notices and will not display pricing information until any errors are corrected. The CONCEPS ordering system requires the Dealer to manually enter all the order codes… Year, Body Code, Priority Code, Option Codes, etc. The newer WBDO system uses plain language descriptions, etc. and only displays options available for that vehicle’s Model Year, Body Code & Order Code. Retail orders using the WBDO system default to Priority Code “19”. Dealers assign priority codes to each order based on the Order Type. Stock orders are assigned priority codes 20-80, retail orders are assigned priority codes 10-19. Fleet orders are assigned special alpha numeric codes that represent a requested production week. The priority codes determine the order for which vehicle orders are to be selected and/or considered for scheduling. This overview doesn’t consider commodity issues (model, powertrain or option scheduling restrictions) that may be in place for a scheduling week. Commodity issues and/or restrictions can apply at either or both the regional and national levels. The highest priority that a Dealer can use for a retail order is 10. An order with a “10” priority code will schedule ahead of an order with an “11” priority code, etc. This allows Dealers to prioritize the order in which vehicles are scheduled, especially when a Dealer may have multiple retail orders in the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank). With the WBDO ordering system, retail orders default to priority code “19” so it’s important that a Dealer change the priority code to a lower number if they want the order to be considered for scheduling earlier compared to other orders. Ford provides Dealers with a schedule for vehicle allocation each week on Monday mornings which shows how many vehicles of each model line that the Dealer has allocation for scheduling that week. That same weekly allocation report also includes information on any regional commodity issues or restrictions. On Monday afternoons, the Scheduling Toolbox Report is released which provides more detailed information on commodity issues and scheduling availability on a national basis. On Tuesday mornings, the AM Scheduling Preview Report is available to show Dealers which vehicle orders have been selected or previewed, on an initial basis, to be selected for scheduling that week. The same report is updated and available on Wednesday morning to show any changes based on commodity issues that may have changed. On Wednesday afternoon, the Regional Scheduler issues a notice informing Dealers of the vehicle specifications available for scheduling for orders not already showing on the AM Preview Report. This provides Dealers with information on what vehicle specifications are available for scheduling should they have orders showing on the AM Preview Report that are not what the Dealer wants. Ford generates what are called “SIMS Orders” each week which are Ford’s suggested orders based on commodity information available at the time. If a Dealer has vehicle allocation for scheduling that week and has no Dealer orders in the USOB or orders that don’t meet the commodity restrictions in place for that week, the scheduling system will default to trying to schedule SIMS (Smart Inventory Management System) orders if they meet any commodity restrictions in place. The SIMS orders are available to Dealers online Monday mornings and in print form on Tuesday mornings. Dealers can enter their own vehicle orders or change the Ford generated SIMS orders. Ford Dealers earn vehicle scheduling allocation each month based on reported vehicle sales, current inventory, projected sales, etc. Each month, Dealers usually meet with their Ford Zone Manager to review the allocation offered for scheduling the following month. A Dealer can accept the suggested allocation per vehicle line or change their commitment. Should a Dealer want more allocation than offered for a vehicle line, they can submit a request for supplemental allocation which will be considered based on total allocation available and commitments from other Dealers in their Zone. There are times when Dealers accept less allocation than offered for a vehicle line which makes that allocation available to other Dealers that may be looking for additional inventory. At other times, a Dealer may want more allocation for a vehicle line than Ford has offered. A supplemental allocation request is how Dealers can get allocation for extra inventory. A Dealer needs allocation each week for scheduling for each vehicle line. Even without allocation for a vehicle line, Ford is pretty good at trying to schedule retail orders even when a Dealer doesn’t have allocation that week. When a Dealer knows that they don’t have scheduling allocation, it’s always a good idea for them to provide the retail order information (Body Code & Order Number) to their Ford Zone Manager and the Regional Scheduler. The Regional Scheduler can reprioritize the retail order to priority code “01” which basically forces the Ford scheduling system to schedule the unit ASAP unless extreme commodity restrictions prevent the scheduling. When a Dealer doesn’t have allocation, the Ford Zone Manager may try to get the allocation from another Dealer that is willing to give up their allocation. Ford scheduling is done on Thursday’s but at times scheduling may be carried over to Friday’s due to scheduling, commodity or other issues. Vehicle scheduling confirmations are available on Friday mornings for allocation scheduled on Thursday. With only a few exceptions (Focus RS, EcoSport, Transit Connect) VIN numbers are generated at the time that an order is “Submitted to Plant” for scheduling. The initial scheduling information will show an order scheduled for a production week. Afterwards, the information will be updated to show production for a particular date. Along the process, the vehicle order status information will be updated along with the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) at the dealership. Years ago, the ordering process was much easier, with few or limited commodity issues to deal with. Ford’s vehicle scheduling was mostly driven by scheduling and building vehicles based on Dealer orders to meet Market demands. For a number of years now, the ordering process has become more complex and time consuming based on the constantly changing commodity issues and restrictions. It is now not uncommon for allocation to roll over to the following week because manufacturing can’t accurately forecast how many vehicles can be scheduled for production. In many cases, it seems that either because of vendor supply issues or other factors that Ford skews vehicle scheduling to higher content models in order to maximize corporate profits rather than scheduling vehicle production to meet Dealers orders or Market demand. The overall vehicle order process, scheduling and status updates is listed below for reference. · Dealer places order into the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank) · When Dealer has vehicle allocation for scheduling, orders are scheduled based on Order Type, Priority Code and commodity restrictions. o Scheduled vehicle orders display as “Submitted to Plant” on the Dealer’s daily schedule status report. o Vehicle orders are assigned a VIN number when scheduled except for certain vehicle lines (EcoSport, Focus RS, Transit Connect) o The initial vehicle scheduling notice will include information for the scheduled week of production. The initial ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is usually provided within a few days of the scheduling notice. o Dealers can change vehicle specifications for a scheduled vehicle up until the vehicle is “locked in” for production or about two weeks prior to the scheduled build date. Specifications for certain vehicle lines (EcoSport, Focus RS, etc.) cannot be changed once scheduled. § Dealers are limited to making 6 changes to scheduled orders. § Dealers cannot change Order Type, Body Code, Order Code (Package/Trim Level) · Vehicle order is next updated with a scheduled production date. · Vehicle goes into production and shows as “Sent to Plant” on the Dealer’s daily status report. o Vehicle invoices and window stickers are generated and available to Dealers at about this time. · Dealer’s daily status report shows updates on production status. · Vehicle status updated to “Produced” · Vehicle status updated to “Released” meaning that the vehicle has been released for shipment. · Vehicle is loaded on rail car. Dealer is provided with carrier information (Canadian National, Norfolk Sothern, etc.) along with the actual rail car number. · Vehicle status is updated to show arrival at the final rail destination (Ramp 41/Newark, NJ) · Vehicle is received by the car carrier (Fleet Car, Diversified Automotive, etc.) for delivery to the dealership. · Vehicle is delivered to the dealership. Dealers have access to the “Vehicle Visibility” application which provides status updates on a 24/7 basis for any vehicle order. This information is provided to answer the most often asked questions about the vehicle ordering process by the Ford enthusiasts that are members of the Blue Oval Forums. I’ll update this information as conditions warrant.

I sent mine in on the unscheduled forum and it was up almost instantly.

Ford is not going to punch a new hole in rear fender for charge port. For one thing, the 2 door and 4 door have different length so you are talking about 4x the tooling costs for the structural part of the body: 2 door, 2 door PHEV, 4 door, 4 door PHEV. The charge port will almost certainly be on a non-structural part of the body like the front fender where it can be easily added to the existing production line and used by all the different build variations.

it is this...but then... the Klingons took over Stellantis and redesigned it slightly.

https://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-is-a-fratzog-and-what-is-dodge-doing-with-1847255460

Due to a lot of static from everybody-GM has now backed off and will have dealers install the chips to operate the heated seats . The heated steering wheels are still not available except on the highest trim levels.

Sounds like it's at Humboldt Yard, a Canadian Pacific (CP) yard on the north side of Minneapolis. "BNS Rail" sounds like Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). If it was built in Louisville, A shortline may have railed it to Chicago where it was transferred to CP and now it may be being transferred to BNSF- or -BNSF may be transferring it to CP being it's going to Canada, though BNSF serves some western Canada destinations too.

Eh, F-150 is the crown jewel, they usually pull out all the stops for it. I'd imagine the same would be true for Lightning.

?....you may want to research exactly how long the exact same Hybrid drivetrain has held up over the years ( decade plus? ) reference Esc ape hybrids utilized in the New York Taxi Fleet under the guise of the "boxy" iteration of the Escape...yeah...it gos back that far...its still used in the Escape and was used for a LONG time in the Fusion.

That is an awesome look. You’ve got that built for towing that is for sure.

BZ, from the linked article: So that answers your speculation - for whatever reason, adding a shift isn't in the cards for Lightning - they are seeking more space, I wonder if that means an additional building with a layout similar to what is being done now for Lightning? Also - the quote confirms what you wrote about adding a shift in Mexico, which might also cover initial production of EV Explorer and Aviator, along with added MME output.

Thanks. Our salesman actually mentioned that this morning. Also said our truck was somewhere in Minnesota. Sounded like Humbold CTRS or something like that. With BNS Rail. Couldn't find and rail hub centre like that on the BNS rail map

It just sucks to be told one thing from dealer, then finally get it scheduled only to have it pushed back and nothing from Ford. Especially in the so called Information Age. And dealer has no trucks ahead of me or at least that they will admit to. My PCO will now expire a month and half before I ever get my truck.

Nice! Now if I could I just get one to show up under my name ?

I received my line in the mail a month and a half after I ordered…my dealer applied it on top of my x plan now it’s locked in until I take delivery…ordered mine 7/27 got a vin and production week of 10/25 bumped to 11/1 then 11/8 then 11/15 and hadn’t received an email since…now my dealer just checked and it says it’s set for production week 12/13

The SK battery plant in Georgia that was the original Ford-SK join venture will open next year so that solves a lot of the battery supply issue for Ford in the near term. This plant is supposed to supply the batteries for the 600k vehicle that Ford wants to sell (mainly F-150 but maybe also for others). I think this is why Farley feels comfortable predicting 600k volume because he's got that plant coming. Additional the SK battery plants from the new BlueOval City project in Tennessee and Kentucky will come online for the EV in OAC and Explorer/Aviator due in 2024.

And I KNEW you would KNOW that I…….. never mind.

It's a side by side with two seats??

My first two impressions on driving a Bronco Sport for the first time: 1) quick, much faster than our '012 Focus, 2). Smooth! That balance shaft in the 1.5L engine works very well. We've had our Bronco Sport since April. Over 7,000 miles. Luv it.

Sorry, but I have little reason to be sympathetic for individual customers that ordered vehicles through a fleet account, legitimate or otherwise. Production, allocation and scheduling is prioritized for retail and stock orders. Fleet orders fill an important role besides what many falsely assume is fleet dumping, contrary to what many believe. The average OTD (Order to Delivery) for 2022 Super Duty fleet orders is 30+ weeks and fleet orders are balancing out early in order to meet the order volume for retail and stock orders due to the many factors impacting production volume this year.

Now you have to paint your fingernails to match….

I am so ready for the chip and part shortage to be over.

Eh, they'll try to, just wait.

The Sierra Club, as an organization, was critical of Ford (especially Bill Ford) when the Excursion was first introduced. But California Sierra Club members were publicly shaming private individuals who purchased an Excursion. I recall reading about this in Automotive News (I think).

But no one had any problem with all the Suburban's on the road!

The design just doesn’t flow very well. The aggressive face doesn’t go with the bubbly roof line.

So, Honda "glitzing up" a Civic and slapping a luxury badge on it = good, but Ford and GM doing the that for their luxury divisions = bad. Amazing is the loyalty of the Honda customer....