kyle

Was waiting to see this pop up in conversation after watching it a few days ago. My take is he has a lot of valid points and should be respected. Not sure who is going to be around in 10-15 years from now, but there will be casualties. I think the big 3 will make the transition since consumers still need trucks and this will power their profits for years to come. I would think Mazda and Mitsubishi have to be the most vunerable. Don't know the European market well at all and can't comment on those brands, but VW, Daimler and BMW are not going anywhere. Tesla is defying so many things it is crazy and their valuation is off the charts and allows them to have access to so much cash it is insane. Would not bet against them anymore, like I would of 3 years or so ago, but think their biggest challenge is Elon Musk is the company and if anything happened to him, what would that company look and act like?

The Evos is a pretty good looking vehicle all around and should be a success.

Good to hear this got resolved and if the dealer didn't realize how wrong they were before this blew up in their face, I am sure they do now! Good to see Ford also get involved into this situation. These dealer's are really thinking short term and if they continue to pull this crap, ultimately customer's are going to not only walk from that dealer, but a dealer all together and just grab a Rivian, or other manufacturer that is going to sell direct.

i don’t think this was politically motivated at all since Ford has dumped billions in the state no matter who is governor all the while the southern states have dangled tons of tax incentives and other economic benefits. Would I rather of seen the investment in Michigan? Maybe but also see changing landscape and it’s better than China. I live in Georgia and like the Koreans heavy investment in our state and would of been interesting where all those sites mentioned stacked up. This is a huge move of many to come.

I’m in Louisville this week and in a ST Explorer with 43k on the odometer. Love the performance but compared to my Telluride with almost same mileage (41k in 11 months) I’m very unimpressed. Quality is mediocre and it is very much a compromised product since it’s slotted between a Aviator. Outside of a few things this falls way short of my Kia and it is very sad. Just expect more and hopefully they close the gaps. interior on my rental is all black and I don’t think this even has rear cross traffic alert nor lane keeping assist. Lane centering works with cruise but is not something I’m comfortable with. It ventures to the left side of the lane excessively. Like a few things but this product is not class leading IMO. Not even impressed with the BO sound system compared to my stock EX system with no subwoofer. Frustrating cause I see cost cutting all over. this thing needs a refresh in more ways than one. I’m in only for a few more days and may add more content later. I do like the exterior and plenty of room. Just doesn’t feel like it’s rear wheel basis as much as I expected. Right now about 24 mpg average and I’m a right hand lane driver. Hard miles on this car but door window switches that are flaking and lots of lag in controls and rear camera graphics that suck compared to my Kia that cost maybe $20k less is insane. And I love the Aviator so I know Ford can brings it’s A game but this isn’t it in.

They lost that leadership position when GM dropped their new full size SUV's.....the Escalade is going for $20k over sticker and now you have the new body on frame Jeep Grand Wagoneer jumping into the fray. I like the redone rear end, did not notice the front end changes and uninspired by the upgraded interior. This is probably in 3rd place now when you look at top end SUV's and you could even place it 4th with the Escalade, Denali, Grand Wagoneer better options....imo...

Good to know the hard top issue is tied to extreme temperatures and humidity....must be a brutal summer in Michigan Premiere:)

Thanks for posting and Good to see but they are 100k behind GM twins which is huge and not going to catch them this year.

I missed the supplier fire that seemed to only effect Ford? I was over at SE Toyota's distribution center a few weeks ago and they've got plenty of inventory and even commented on how Ford is being outsold significantly by other OEM's that's never come close and how Toyota managed the chip situation. Also seen where GM removed content from vehicles (very very minor stuff) and kept production open while it seems Ford is going in a different direction and failing miserably. I'm not convinced Ford will keep their leadership in trucks this year and think there is no way in hell the GM twins (i saw some sales numbers last month and going off that and don't have actual numbers in front of me:) don't blow by the F150-something that happens occasionally but it market share is hard as F to get back. Maybe i'm missing something but in my opinion not all of it was circumstantial.

It is an aggressive growth plan that I think they will find challenging for a few reasons. Most of these fleets already have existing tech platforms in place and switching over to one from the OEM will be uphill battle. I worked at Navistar a few years ago and was on a road to nowhere project positioning factory electronic logging devices at carriers and it was a disaster...hence "I worked at:)" These companies run on very tight margins and hate spending any extra money unless it has a upside on ROI but if they pull this off the profit margins for Ford are very strong. Make a lot more money in software than selling anything with metal:)

You are spot on and this could be very profitable in today's environment. My brother-n-law sells Range Rovers and one of his good customer's got a $10k check prior to turning in his lease vehicle.

Spot on.....They won't get there if they don't simplify their packages.

But not in a new Bronco with a fucked up top! Glad you are having fun Premier and like Akirby mentioned it’s not like you can’t enjiy and drive the vehicle. Would be totally different if they had a stop sale and do not drive message out there!! All is good i

Everyone on this site knows the importance or destruction a vendor can play but not the general public who've plunked down $50-60k for this vehicle and waited well over a year. Ultimately this is Ford's fault since it is their name on the vehicle and they've selected the vendors. I cannot believe Ford was not intimately involved in the QC process as the top went thru development, since it is such a major component of the vehicle. Glad to hear the launch is similar to one's you experienced in the past. I really hope though that they make this right for the affected customers.....something Ford has CLEARLY failed to do in the past!!

Thanks for clarifying....I wasn't sure since most were just AD or something to that effect but several noted a defect on the window....there was a 2 door hardtop and it indicated top defect, etc.

I had a few hours before flying back to Atlanta yesterday in Detroit and went by Ford’s HQ. They had at least 100 Bronco’s in one of the parking lots. Many of them were open and we peaked inside quite a few of them. I think they are there for some type of repairs since all had some type of comments on the drivers window. First impressions are very favorable and love the variety of packages and unique styling elements. Noticed every one I did look at though seem to be having some body panel fit around the back hinge area. Here are few pics and hopefully this is something they straighten out quickly. Overall everything else looked spot on but this is something that needs to be addressed. Photos (1).zip

The guys at Savagegeese said the same thing about the 2.3L.....just lacked low end torque off the line....and to be fair, the Bronco is a big vehicle.

Congrats and hope you took the afternoon off!!

Get what you are saying and maybe they recognize that they don’t have a class 8 truck so let’s get their other commercial vehicles that go into a fleet? But than again many of those fleets also need F550’s so what do I know!

Is this the spot for toggle switches?

There is room for both vehicles regardless if you are in the $25k market or $35k market....cars are expensive. The Hyundai has way more distinctive styling, lockable bed, a trunk in the rear, safety tech is standard across all trim lines, as is I think AWD, a longer warranty, more standard features including a digital dash, etc. The big picture to me is everyone else that has not jumped into this market.....this is where the entry level buyer in many ways is going to go.

Don't get carried away about the Cruz being DOA. The Cruz is geared towards a different buyer and has many things the Maverick does not have. Both of these vehicles will do well and be limited by plant capacity....IMO.

Wondering why they are doing the reveal at 6 am is the bigger question! Must be slated for other markets.

Wondering what they hell they’ve would of done if it was raining in Dearborn!!

little long but worth watching....