ExplorerDude

I’m hearing that MY2026 Escape production will begin in October and will only last for 3 months. I believe LAP will go down next year beginning in January 2026 for retooling for CE1.

You are spot on as well! There is a cause for some concern. I say that because Ford just keeps pruning the lineup with no clear successors in the pipeline. The most shortsighted decisions have been dropping the Edge, and the impending end of the Escape. Many still talk about losing the Fusion and Transit Connect as well. It’s upsetting because those products were loved and had decent reputations. If they were boring it’s because we made them that way. More focused redesigns could improve the product and make them exciting again. Ford gets tired and bored then just abandons them. I’ve also come to determine that there are pockets of great ideas and teams but it’s not universal across the company.

There are things in the pipeline but it does feel like Ford is missing it’s moment….yet again. 2027 through 2030 will bring a number of new products. The amount of programs paused or canceled and shelved has been a lot. The change in demand and possible regulation changes has been like whiplash. Ford is stretching some lifecycles in the hopes of nailing down more certainty with where the market is going. It’s a very cautious approach which could be good or bad depending upon what the future brings. I’d say there is definitely more focus on actual Hybrids and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs) rather than lots of pure EVs at this point. The skunkworks team in California is creating about 3 compact EV variants. If COVID and falling demand for EVs hadn’t happened there would be a lot more product here by now.

This is the type of stuff Ford wastes time on internally. It’s one of the most exhausting things to watch on a regular basis. I wish they focused more on the more important items like quality instead of marketing/naming things like this. The MY26 Explorer Tremor will literally be exactly like the Explorer Timberline was except with the MY25 Explorer refresh updates. I think it’s keeping the same wheels but with the Tremor accents added etc. I think the Tremor will use the regular Explorer’s front and rear fascia’s except with the Tremor accents added and a unique grill insert. This is a cost savings as the Timberline had its own unique front and rear fascia’s entirely. Multiple powertrains might be available as well.

It’s happening 😄 S650 based

This is actually the second time the P736 has been delayed. The first delay was never mentioned. It was originally set to come out in late 2026 as a MY2027. But it was pushed back to mid 2027 for MY2028, now it appears to be pushed back again to mid 2028 for MY2029. I don’t quite understand the reason for the delays. I heard it might be due to getting costs under control.

An additional body style / configuration (4-door) plus a possible high end Lincoln variant would add volume (if approved).

What really bothers me about the prices increases is just how tone deaf Ford has become. There was a time when Ford would cut the price by $1,000 or more when launching a new generation of a particular vehicle. Emphasizing the value and that it costs less. The price increases on the new Expedition and Navigator are just appalling. I knew it was coming but hoped that they had reconsidered pricing/positioning. I really think sales of those models will slow and they will then react by cutting them back. The equipment hasn’t changed that much to necessitate such high price increases. The Navigator went from $83,000 in change to $99,995. Insanity!

Yeah unfortunately the Timberline trim level is being shelved for now. Tremor replaces it on both. A decision was made a year ago to do a Tremor instead. I have no idea why but that is what happened.

It’s not illuminated, just excellent lighting done to highlight the new design.

The Kuga replacement is the next generation of Ford’s other compact SUV, that’s not the Escape/Kuga. The next gen of this little icon is going global in 2027 from what I’ve heard. The CE1 based compact BEV SUV, is something different and will most likely (may or may not) use the Escape name. I hope it does use the Escape name though!

It’s not that Ford doesn’t care about the Ranger, it’s just that the Bronco and it’s production takes priority. Little by little each month they are building more Rangers and selling more. The Ranger literally flat lined last year before the switchover to the 2024 redesign. Then the UAW shutdown hurt. It’s taking longer than it should but Ford has a target goal of selling about 85,000 Rangers a year moving forward. With the Maverick selling 125,000-150,000 a year.

No one said Ford wasn’t replacing the Kuga. It will be replaced and not with an EV.

It certainly had elements of the Explorer America concept but really it just looked like a natural evolution of the Explorer with some boxiness to it.

This started as a Hackett project with a boxy authentic Explorer looking EV. It was attractive, futuristic and instantly recognizable as an Explorer which just happened to be an EV. This was started around 2019, pre-pandemic. This was due to be produced at Cuautitlan as a MY24 vehicle. Around the end of 2021, Farley change the entire program. Same platform, totally different top hat. This included a program code change as well. It went from boxy to very aero. I always thought it looked like a Polestar 3, a Tesla Model Y, a Tesla Model X, and a 1995 Taurus wagon mixed together. Horrid! This was then going to be produced in Ohio and then Oakville, then they didn’t know, to it finally being canceled. It was going to be a MY26 vehicle and then a MY28. I feel for the design and engineering teams who poured their heart and work into these things only for it to be canceled. Over 5 years of time and nothing came of it. Make no mistake, it’s best that this happened and this thing will not be mass produced or produced at all. Farley talks about authentic icons and passion products but this thing was far from that. It was an appliance on wheels.