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That’s it. 100% accurate. That is the 7-seater EV, also referenced as the “personal bullet train.” I am not impressed by this thing from a design standpoint. It’s shocking the first time you see it. Like I said, it’s very futuristic and is a mix of various designs from past and present, the Polestar 3, 1995 Taurus wagon, Reflex concept and Explorer EV in Europe combined was the vibe. The interesting thing about this vehicle is that it changed once already. When it was supposed to be built in Mexico alongside the Mach-E it looked far more like a traditional Explorer, a nice evolution of the Explorer’s design. But the program was canceled / drastically changed and even the development code changed. They basically started over because it didn’t go far enough. Feels like they went too far. Not sure whether it will carry the Explorer name or not.

Got to see and sit in a 2024 Ranger Raptor at the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA on Saturday, June 3rd. I was also able to talk to Ford Performance chief engineer Carl Widmann. Anyone who is seriously considering this truck is probably already aware of its performance capabilities. While all of that is great and I hate boring vehicles just as much as anyone, I am just as concerned about its livability. After all, this might be my next daily driver. I was pleasantly surprised by the seating comfort both front and rear. Much better than I expected. Awesome truck overall and it looks fantastic in Magnetic! BTW, I think Carl was a little pissed when I asked him to demonstrate the folding capabilities of the rear seat. He was probably thinking why is this jackass even interested in this thing. I didn't want to ruin it by telling him what my other vehicles were. LOL.

Every Mach-e that I have seen in inventory on a dealer lot is a standard range model. I suspect there are not many people wanting standard range models.

In addition to the tradition BEV issues and the ones you noted, the low height is an issue for us older folk. At our age, we only purchase vehicles we can step right, or have an easy step up. If the new BEV's are all low and aero designed, yet another reason we won't be purchasing. They might get a few more miles of range, but the low design removes some of the older potential purchasers, which often have more disposable income than those with young kids.

We'll have to see what the final product looks like before passing judgement. And as somebody mentioned, the 1985 Taurus was a highly polarizing vehicle, but was a best seller, and made Ford the design leader in the U.S. for several years.

keep in mind anything new (i.e. not already in production) is going to be referred to as “exciting new product” or something to that effect when the new contract comes out. That’s the way it always is.

I remember seeing this a while back and we were trying to figure out what it was. I can see some potential good things about it, but it should NOT wear the Explorer badge, IMO. At least Mustang Mach E tries to mirror the shape/silhouette of the Mustang proper. Explorer has always been a more upright SUV/crossover, even if the current model has skewed more toward sleek.

If nothing else the biggest difference between the Ranger and Bronco chassis, not frame, is Ranger still uses leaf springs where Bronco doesn’t.

No, that was the body. Wouldn’t fit between the aprons. No aprons on the new model.

That made sense why the 'Explorer' name was going to be attached to the EV. It originally had the traditional Explorer design before they changed it. As I said in my previous post ('They can still do a true upright, boxy midsized TE1 EV with 'Explorer' and build that at BOC. Or as a GE2 at OAC if there's room for three EVs.'), they can still do the proper Explorer EV. There is a next gen ICE Explorer coming soon, IIRC, so there's time for a true Explorer EV to be sold alongside it. I'm guessing the 'Explorer' EV may have undergone similar route as the C-Max EV replacement where it was started over into what was eventually the Mustang Mach-E. I just thought of something. When Farley spoke at the Capital Markets event, and discussed the upcoming the 3-row EV, he didn't actually call it Explorer. It was referred to having the interior room of ICE Expedition while being the size of ICE Explorer. No name of this EV was ever spoken at all. So could it be possible that Ford has changed the name to it? It's already been known and reported numerous times that the Explorer/Aviator EVs were going to OAC. Now all of a sudden, he didn't even mention any names to this new EV at all during the event presentation.

Ranger hybrid would have to be a global product and there is absolutely no chance a 3.0 hybrid will find market acceptance outside the US. 2.3 hybrid makes all the sense in the world and will be the way forward. Remember, it is replacing the 3.0 V6 diesel for the most part... so it will be a significant improvements on many fronts for buyers opting for the hybrid (or PHEV) vs. the diesel.

Ford's truck operations are a bit tactical and regional not strategic and global. The three parts (Ford Otosan, JMC, Ford US) are operating separately and there isn't much synergy. Really not sure what Farley wants to do but transition to ZEV will not work on regional basis. None of the 3 surviving truck operations generate enough cash to justify the investment so Ford may be just going to sit on the business and see what happens. The US ops can always leverage off F-Series investments and limp along. Ford Otosan and JMC would have to bend together and find a way out. The problem is Ford Otosan is focused on heavy duty while JMC is exclusively medium duty... no synergy.

And what happens when the computer glitches while you’re doing 70 mph and you’re completely blind?

No different than any other BEV right now. It’s not for everybody. I’m guessing they’re targeting $40k due to simplification and cheaper batteries.

I think the shape is key to keeping the battery cost and vehicle price lower as it targets a void in the EV market. I’m sure there will be more traditionally styled BEV SUVs in addition.

I have this feeling that more radical styling is going to be the norm to help with highway ranges on BEVs, so expect more cars that look like they are from the 1980s I do have to say it certainly doesn't look boring. Guess we will see how it does.

God, I hope not. It's exactly what I was worried about when Farley was talking about making areo more of a focus. Areo and attractive design often don't mix. Range matters, but not as much as design appeal. I thought Farley understand that when he canned that ugly design proposal that came before the mach-e. When they released the mach-e, they were talking about how design appeal was going to be a driving factor for most if not all of Ford's future EVs. What is GMI? I've heard people mention it before, but I've never asked.

I'm thinking Borg may have meant that it wasn't loved in terms of 'Explorer' name attached to the vehicle in that low-riding aero style. The Explorer has always been upright, boxy, and higher up. Even with the 2011-2019 unibody front driver/all wheel drive one. So I do agree that this vehicle should not have 'Explorer' name at all. They can still do a true upright, boxy midsized TE1 EV with 'Explorer' and build that at BOC. Or as a GE2 at OAC if there's room for three EVs. As for 'Thunderbird' name, I would wait for confirmation before we react or overreact. Let's see an announcement first or confirmation by an insider or two here. Having said that though, it could be well-executed. Remember that the C-Max replacement was quickly redone as a Mustang Mach-E with huge success. It could be done with this one as 'Thunderbird' with various recognizable retro styling cues. The upcoming UAW talks will be quite interesting, to say the least, regarding upcoming products and their nameplates.