jpd80

Could be deliberate to generate comments and traffic on their site, sure there’s speculation but that all part of the fun and intrigue. I wouldn’t be disappointed if North America got a couple more C2s that sell in an important sector just below Explorer/Aviator. Intriguing how many hybrids and PHEVs Ford seems to be moving into plain sight, all while the Lightning, Mach E and E Transit take the limelight.

I was just thinking that, GM Ultium platform promises to be huge but at the moment there’s little in the way of actual production, maybe things like supplies and logistics still coming together (65,000 orders for Hummer).

People looking closely at those canoed picks are saying that it looks like a Lincoln under the covers, maybe the next Nautilus….

Zephyr has zero cache as a vehicle name of a brand, the Thunderbird name is actively being considered by Ford.

The Thunderbird name assumed that the sales would be mostly upper end and was considered a way of doing just one vehicle instead of two like Explorer and Aviator. They may still do it as a way of avoiding direct comparison to Explorer/Aviator in the gradual run down of ICE production (a way of insulating the BEV from Chicargo)

Fun fact, at one point Ford was considering calling it midsized BEV Utility Thunderbird instead of Explorer/Aviator. I guess they thought one good name might sell better without hurting sales of the existing ICE Explorer/ Aviator…. ^^^^^^^ that was before the runaway success of Lightning, I think the idea of high $$$ beautique BEVs went out the window…..

Here’s the funny thing, Ford is up $163 million in cash but get to claim another rough $2 billion loss for Q2. If Ford managed to sell all of its stock at $23/share it will basically get back double its original investment in Rivian.

Let’s not forget that Tesla’s Texas Giga plant is also ramping up Tesla Y production and that should become more significant by Q3.

The whole point of a mid engined vehicle be that front mounted or rear mounted is the near perfect 50/50 weight distribution. So it’s easy to see that in an electric vehicle, the weight of components is more evenly dispersed and the battery entered and at a low cog making BEVs arguably more stable than a similar ICE vehicle.

Something exciting coming in 2024

It sounds like chip supplies are ebbing and flowing every other month, so hopefully these delays in delivery aren’t as long as last year. All those incomplete vehicles are money in the bank the moment they are completed and sent.

One thing is for sure, Ford wanted to include India in its plans but just couldn’t get the deal to work…

Weight distribution?

See, if you don’t like Ford’s plans just wait a month or so…

Exactly, the ICE Mustang is going the same way the Aussie Falcon did, a great car but buyers moving on. The key in managing the final years is giving those buyers their last ICE Mustang and celebrating that long heritage with very special versions to the end. At the same time, revealing the future with BEV coupe and of course, the Mach E.

It’s a good thing that it’s an iconic brand, I’d hate to see what would happen otherwise…… although, Camaro shows how crappy and unsupportive GM can be

You watch, Ford will keeps selling down stock, hopefully make a small profit and then once it has no interest in Rivian, the stock will take off again.

Evolution not revolution, there will be some significant changes that ensure it survives…..unlike Camaro, GM is out of ideas there.

While not good, at least those vehicles are built and when chips become available, they can be completed relatively quickly and dispatched, it’s Q2 2021 all over again.

Where do people get this idea that car types and styles are cyclical?

Saving lots of money with an evolved design is understandable especially if this is the final ICE Mustang

Best not to say anything at the moment as T6 is important for Europe (diesel getting harder to justify) I’ll leave it at that….

Whisper is that hybrid and PHEV versions were developed as part of the main project, there’s just no point talking about or releasing them now with scarcity of batteries.

Technically, vehicles above 8,500 lbs GVWR are excluded form CAFE but they might have a positive influence on Super Duty - heavy duty truck fuel economy targets that are now in play. No Idea but I’d hope that it’s most of them…

there was an interview with Trevor Worthington who heads up the T6 program, he basically said that the design covers hybrid, PHEV and BEV, whatever Ford requires….