Sherminator98

They are based off a patent drawing So yeah this is what is going to look like 95% The C pillar is what really kills it.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/05/this-is-the-new-toyota-fj-cruiser-youve-been-waiting-for/ Kinda interesting-apparently roughly the size of a Bronco Sport with BOF construction Guessing it will be a hybrid so it doesn't impact their CAFE

I keep forgetting how much smaller vehicles where in the 1980-1990s-the OG 4 door Explorer is roughly the same length as the 25 Escape is.

Define useable range.

The upper rear end around the tail lights and maybe the shape of the greenhouse is what stuck out to me as being different from the current Mach E and wouldn't be hard to translate into the production/street one

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKR5OIiRVSy/?igsh=YWNjMmZxcXl5aGRj Ok that does look pretty bad ass. I wonder if any of it will translate to a reskinned Mach E down the road.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2025/05/29/toyota-to-sell-seven-ev-models-in-u-s-send-surplus-cars-overseas/83923371007/

I think you guys are getting a bit into the weeds-given how expensive things are in general, a cheap coupe would be lucky to sell 25K units a year. Its impractical for the vast majority of use cases for buyers. A decent majority of younger people are going to want something that is "practical" vs "cool" to drive. Just look at what has happened over the past 20 years or so with "youth" marketed vehicles. They get bought mostly by middle age people who want to feel cool again and have the income to buy them. Then add in that EVs already have impressive performance due to the use of high torque electric motors, maybe a better course of action is coming out with something that is more performance orientated on the lower cost CE1 platform that doesn't require a wholely new tophat.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-29/ford-says-michigan-battery-plant-at-risk-if-tax-credits-are-cut

https://fordauthority.com/2025/05/ford-f-150-lightning-sales-numbers-figures-results-first-quarter-2025-q1/

Looks like its the size of a 1st gen Cherokee then a compact CUV like it was previous gen

Till you accidently run over someone in your blind spot-which was one of the driving forces with this I recall a story where someone backed out of their garage and ran over their daughter who was in the driveway sunbathing- Rear view cameras cover the area directly under your license plate or bumper area, where rear view mirror or side mirrors have a blind spot.

EV9-The Kia EV9 features a drag coefficient of 0.28 The smaller EV6 is the same EV9 Range: Light RWD: 230 miles Light Long Range RWD: 304 miles Wind e-AWD: 280 miles Land e-AWD: 280 miles GT-Line e-AWD: 270 miles EV6 Range: Light (RWD, 58.0-kWh battery): 232 miles Light Long Range (RWD, 77.4-kWh battery) & Wind (RWD): Up to 310 miles Wind (e-AWD) & GT-Line (e-AWD): Up to 282 miles GT (e-AWD): 206 miles Model Y with a drag coefficient of .22 Range: Long Range RWD 357 Miles Long Range AWD 327 miles Both come with a 75 kWH battery only.

Nah the new EV that the skunkworks is doing is a clean sheet design. Your thinking of the Mach E

Hopefully it fixes the issues that the L87 V8 is experiencing

Ford is still staying the CE1 is supposed to cost $25-30K, which is "affordable" in this market. You might only get a 200 mile range vehicle for that, but I'm sure they will over a larger battery/higher price that will bring that above 250-300 miles of range. Shrinking a vehicle to be roughly the size of a 1980s Escort is going to not to fly with a lot of people-I don't see the point of making it a second or third vehicle for buyers. Not to mention that apparently the CE1 will be a pickup at first. The reason Telsa has been doing what they are doing is that if they come out with a cheaper product, they are going to be just hurting themselves since they aren't as diversified as much as other makers are.

At least in the NA market, that would be dead on arrival because of the perceived image it would have. I still think that something roughly the size and shape of the Escape/Bronco Sport would be the sweet spot for the North American market that would cost about $30-35k starting price would really open the market for EVs here

There is a whole bunch of caveats to going this route. Using a platform for both EV and hybrid is going to impact how good that EV is going to actually be because you'll run into packaging limitations or other things that will impact range of an EV on a ICE platform. Personally I think that best course of action is keeping C and smaller platform cars as EVs and larger C sized products or above Hybrids or EREVs. The smaller products have advantages of being lighter and not needing a large battery to go longer distances. But that also introduces other issues with profitability since you can't charge as much, but hopefully these newer battery tech they are coming out with helps with price and power density. Not to mention I'm slightly tired of EVs being overly "thick" looking (high beltlines) due to battery pack location. I wonder if a taller/wider"transmission" tunnel would be able to help with cars in the looks dept when it comes to that.

There is already push back on pricing of vehicles-just take a look at the Charger RT EV-its going away because there is no demand for it. Its getting replaced by ICE products in a few months. Its going to take another 5-10 years before EVs can hit price parity and offer similar range in most conditions as an ICE/HEV product can. Keep in mind that older people don't like change and I'd say most people 50+ aren't really interested in EVs because they don't want to deal with charging and other things that come along with EV ownership. Also US automakers are international, so that is just an excuse from you. CN EVs might be impressive but I have my own concerns about long term ownership with them-they might be cheap just to force into buying a new car every 5 years or so.

Why not just bring over the CN Market C2 Bronco that is in the other thread instead? It would be a better fit and if Ford loses some BOF Bronco sales to it, it wouldn't be a huge deal because of CAFE getting more onerous. Its not a commodity product either, since it would have similar off road prowess that the Bronco Sport has. Not to mention it helps solve the Nautilus assembly issue from China too. Not sure if using Explorer name do as well-if I was going to replace the Escape, IMO it would be a cross between an Explorer and Range Rover looks wise. Apparently smaller vehicles (sub 185 inches or so) are going to be harder to meet with Hybrid/ICE powertrains in the future. but they are also better choice for an EV too.

I also think you might be looking at this too hard an auto enthusiast-the average buyer equates buying a car like buying a toaster or refrigerator...but even a more unpleasant experience due to the way many dealerships operate. It also explains why things like the Camry or Accord where so successful for their time-they where default boring go tos because of a perceived quality value they may or may not have now.

Missing the point completely again- California emissions standards required different or additional equipment to cars that raised prices maybe 5-10% Requiring what is basically a completely different car in tech and how it is built (for it be the most efficient) vs ICE product, while costing maybe 20-30% more is completely different ball game.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ford-accuses-law-firms-fraudulent-overbilling-including-57-12-hour-workday-2025-05-21/

I'm guessing that the CE1 products will be a better fit for ROW markets with the demands for EVs being stronger in the EU for example. Or you could argue that the Explorer and Capri EV are "replacements" for the Kuga/Escape.

That is the issue-CARB predates the EPA, so they get a pass in the eyes of the law, but at the same time, a single state shouldn't be able to dictate what the other 31 states want or don't want to do when it comes to cars. I'm not sure what the regulatory requirements where for the other states to adapt CARB are either-and there are states are are backing off EV mandates. California can "screw over" their own population with more expensive vehicles too, just to meet their requirements, which might not be popular with their residents too.