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That’s the problem - you have to make the decision to spend the extra time and money up front when there is no guarantee it will pay off in 5-7 years. It’s too easy to take the savings now and gamble that something bad won’t happen. Ford is losing that gamble so you’d hope they won’t keep taking those risks. It’s no different than us making a decision to put off a roof replacement because we want to buy a new truck and hoping the roof won’t have a catastrophic leak in the meantime. If it works out it’s great. If not your $8000 roof replacement became a $30k repair. It takes discipline not to take the savings now.

something new doesn't just appear at the snap of a finger. And Ford/others cant just sit around and wait for it while everyone passes them.

MQB is VW's transverse ICE platform. It's like Ford's C2 platform. MLB is VW's longitude ICE platform. It is like Ford's CD6 platform. MEB is VW's small to midsize EV platform, it is intended to replace MQB vehicles as they transition to EV. PPE is VW's large size EV platform, it is intended to replace MLB vehicles as they transition to EV. MEB and PPE are the hardware. They will be using the same same software platform (SSP) by 2024, starting with the Porsche Macan EV and Audi A6 eTron.

Wouldn't surprise me. The good thing that our trucks are already built means there most likely aren't any missing items from shortages. Ex: Heated Steering Wheel, CHMSL Camera, etc. Yes, your dealer can supply your VIN and order number and you can track it on Fords tracking website. Tracking website doesn't give much info, but at least it's something. You can also reach out to Ford Chat with your VIN and they can give you a more indepth update with the Primary and Secondary Status of your vehicle. My guess it's: Primary - In Production, Secondary - Offsite. Hope this helps!

2023 FORD SUPER DUTY JOB 2 ORDER BANK IS LIVE

MEB is the hardware platform and it is staying. SSP is the software platform which will have 3 versions (Trinity, Apollo, Artemis) with different features depending on price point. This is what all the car companies are doing as well. In the future, the hardware platform is not going to be as important (you can even outsource it - e.g. buy turnkey VW MEB or Foxconn platform) but the software is where the differentiation happens.

Imagine if Ford would have put half of the recall and warranty expense ($1b+) into better quality and evaluation of components from the start...

Yes. It's absolutely necessary for Ford to make capital investments like BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in order to remain competitive.

That's awesome that you're an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. That university's Robotics Institute pioneered autonomous vehicle research almost 40 years ago. I agree that Pittsburgh is an ideal place for Latitude AI headquarters.

Good to see this venture headquartered in Pittsburgh. Great Tech talent from Carnegie Mellon (one of my alma maters) and University of Pittsburgh. So many of these self driving concerns test in California where straight roads and sunny conditions prevail. Pittsburgh's challenges of roads and weather make a suitable test ground for something you entrust to the general public.

I had a recent business trip in Kentucky, part of which involved driving along I-65 between Bowling Green and Louisville. I had forgotten the battery plant site is along this path, and when I first saw it, was surprised at how large it appears to be. I've seen the SKC/Ford battery plant in Georgia, and this seems much larger. I was able to snap off a couple of pics to share with the group. I shot these on the move, so not the greatest, but at least photographic evidence of solid progress on this site:

Mustang Mach-E also got "Good" ratings in the updated side and moderate overlap tests but missed out on 2023 Top Safety Pick because the LED reflector headlamps on the Select and California Route 1 trims are rated marginal. Ford should make LED projector headlamps currently included on Premium and GT trims, which IIHS rated good, standard across the entire Mustang Mach-E lineup.

No surprise which vehicle won. The Ford F-150 Lightning Is the 2023 MotorTrend Truck of the Year

Fun fact. F-150 Lightning won 2023 Motor Trend TOTY by unanimous vote among the judges. It's only the 2nd time in Motor Trend OTY history that a BEV managed to do that, the other one was Tesla Model S, 10 years prior.