ExplorerDude

Yes, the current Edge and Nautilus are more attractive. The new 7-seater Ford EV is not attractive in my opinion. Its shape is what turns me off. It’s extremely different and I honestly don’t know how they will sell 50,000-75,000 units a year projected for the US. I could be wrong but who knows. I still have no idea what name it will have. It’s honestly not fitting to call it an Explorer. I’ve heard “Edison” floated and no not because it’s Team Edison’s latest project. On the other hand, the Lincoln version while different is not unattractive. It’s sleek and very fitting of a future Lincoln EV. I am fairly certain the 7-seater Lincoln EV will be called Aviator though. I believe Farley wants to go after Tesla buyers with a 7-seater EV which Tesla doesn’t have. Oakville is projected to build / sell 200,000 a year. I assume Oakville is building these for global consumption as this will be the only place these are built.

Not a terrible month but being down 5% still hurts the overall numbers. Clearly the Bronco and Ranger production stoppage from the UAW strike hurt both of their sales pretty badly. Ranger also has almost zero inventory around the country. Happy to hear Michigan Assembly will be adding that 3rd shift eventually. Here’s hoping procurement can get the parts to support those 3 full shifts. Explorer had a good October but YTD is down 10%. I wish Ford cared about the Explorer like it does the F-Series. It used to but now I don’t see it. Bronco is now the favorite SUV inside. There have just been so many headwinds over the last 3 years. Ford is always in damage control mode. I want to see a time where Ford has a market advantage over everyone else for once.

Part of the problem over time has been when programs start and stop, then start and stop again. Especially with different teams of people. While only one example, the CD6 program is the more recent one that comes to mind. It was started and stopped 1 or 2 separate times. Each time a different team picked up the previous teams work. This is why the current Explorer/Aviator have suffered so many quality problems. Programs that get started and then shelved are a major brain drain.

Flat Rock’s investment is only $50 million, I can’t imagine that being anything major. Definitely not a new Paint Shop. I don’t even know what product it would be. It might just be a derivative of the S650.

The amount of product programs started and then shelved is probably somewhere in the 15 to 20 range. What will really be interesting is to see how many Model E programs are now shelved or paused.

Yes and as far as I know, the Malibu is rumored to be getting a top hat redesign for 2025 or 2026. This is the approach Ford should have taken but here we are.

There is definitely a sizable group internally that hate that the Fusion was dropped. It was a very competitive car and had a fairly clean and successful reputation. Many of those people worked really hard on the Fusion and were all shocked how Ford just walked away. Dropping the Fusion and all of the sedans eliminated a money losing business. Everyone is happy that the replacement products that took sedans place which people are passionate about (Bronco, Ranger, Bronco Sport, Maverick, and Mustang Mach-E) are money makers. But many are upset that Ford abandoned a still sizable segment and doesn’t have at least one entry in that fight. We have lost a lot of customers who walked away from Ford because of zero sedans. Heck many of them would have bought any size Ford sedan just to have a new sedan. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Hackett didn’t want to make that decision, it was a “hot potato” topic. So he tossed it to Farley and he extinguished it. Farley claimed it was the hardest decision of his career.

The Lincoln version looks okay, pretty decent in an evolution of Lincoln’s styling. The sleek look works well for Lincoln. I’m not worried about the Lincoln if it comes out how it currently is. My biggest concern is the Ford variant. It’s just not attractive. I don’t know how it got so far without someone saying hey let’s remember that actual buyers have to want to buy this. It’s radically different. I’m sure it will sell some but I don’t know how they can sell a lot of them every year in a plant that will be building just these two crossovers. If they sell 50,000 units a year combined it would be a miracle.

My even deeper sources have told me that the San Louis Potosi plans have been dusted off already…..

I honestly believe if the UAW gets exactly what they’re asking for then there’s a very strong chance Ford will dust off the plant plans for San Luis Potosí or somewhere else in Mexico and build a new plant in there. With high labor and EV production costs, they’ll build a new plant and close 2 in the US which haven’t gotten EV conversion investments.

To be honest, it’s horrifying to watch so many knee-jerk reaction decisions. There are days where many feel like they are just guessing on what to do. It’s very worrisome that there is a major lack of a sense of urgency on a lot of things. Honestly, Mulally was so right about everything with the company lacking focus, and it’s even more so like that now than ever before, even with just the Ford and Lincoln brands. For whatever reason Ford can’t stay focused and manage multiple things at once. The company gets bored when there isn’t any “danger” like it was 2006-2008. To sum up, you are correct, the company can’t chew gum and walk at the same time.

There were plans for a brand-new Transit Connect to be built on C2 and alongside the Bronco Sport and Maverick in Hermosillo. When Ford realized the profitability and high demand of the Bronco Sport and Maverick, it shelved the next Transit Connect. It would’ve been a hit but the volume and what they’d make on it weren’t worth it, they didn’t want the risk of sacrificing any Bronco Sports or Mavericks.

The 7-passenger Ford BEV is just not attractive, at least not to me. It will bring in those Tesla Model X and Model Y buyers who like that look. The worst part is that when this was going to be built at the Mach-E plant in Mexico it was boxy and it was definitely going to be an Explorer. Then the move to OAP included a complete design shift (and not for the better). The product development code name changed as well.

This article is stretching it a bit. Farley’s comments were taken out of context as well. Yes both Edge and Transit Connect are going away unfortunately. Hard to believe considering how popular they were when they were introduced. Escape as we know it is going away, no more ICE powered Escape. I don’t remember when the plan changed but the replacement is expected to be a BEV and I heard it would use the Escape name. Supposedly to come from LAP. Farley just shouldn’t comment on existing product plans as his words get twisted or the press doesn’t have clarity in what he’s actually stating. He said no more 2 row ICE crossovers as the segments have become commoditized.

Lincoln’s Product Plans have changed so many times in the last 24 months. There were so many plans that were canceled and shelved, some because of resources and COVID. Chiefly, the most concrete ones were the Rivian based SUV and the Corsair coupe. I feel for the teams that put so much work into these products just to have them shelved, it’s demoralizing. These are absolutely confirmed: 2024MY Nautilus, all-new 2024MY Aviator, refresh 2025MY Navigator/L, all-new mostly 2026MY 7-Seater BEV SUV from Oakville 2027MY Compact BEV SUV There are rumors of other BEVs that aren’t SUVs or CUVs……

Explorer and Aviator production (and sales) suffered in June and July due to the 360 degree camera blue screen issue which turned into a recall which became a major problem. There was a stop sale on all Explorer and Aviators in inventory. If either had that 360 degree camera then they couldn’t be sold..a solution had finally been developed but they have a lot of work to do to get things back on track.

Explorer is currently scheduled to undergo another major refresh for 2027MY. Which sees significant exterior changes front and rear.

Make no mistake, this was a deliberate decision to force customers into higher priced and more expensive trims, even if it’s just one trim level up that’s a little more expensive. Ford is going to be dropping various “Base” trims on multiple vehicles very shortly. The company is going to start transitioning from a “Chevy price” to more of a “GMC price” on lots of models moving forward. This is all happening because Ford can’t figure out how to take cost and complexity out effectively, so prices of product will continue to go up to make up the differences. The disfunction is getting out of control….

This is true but I don’t think the Chinese Explorer Timberline’s front end was attractive enough for NA. It’s a matter of taste and opinion of course. If you really look at the NA and Chinese versions of the refreshed Explorer, while they look very similar they actually aren’t the same. Each has a different lower fascia design difference, grille inserts are different as well. The headlights are the same shape but the NA version has slightly different lighting elements inside vs the Chinese version.

The NA Explorer Timberline front fascia, grille, etc is unique only to that trim level. Every other trim level shares the same fascia but has different grille inserts. Budget was limited as is. But the rear end and interior get all the updates since they all share the same parts.

MY2024 will be a busy one but these refreshes and redesigns follow a regular cadence of 3-4 years. 2024 F-150, (originally all-new for 2021) 2024 Explorer, (originally all-new for 2020) 2024 Ranger, (originally “all-new” for 2019) 2024 Mustang, (last refresh for 2018) 2024 Nautilus, (last refresh 2021, major refresh 2019) 2025 Aviator, (originally all-new for 2020) 2025 Expedition, (last refresh 2022) 2025 Maverick, (originally all-new for 2022) 2025 Bronco, (originally all-new for 2021) 2025 Bronco Sport, (originally all-new for 2021) etc. etc……

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.

Pretty sure that is the shooting Star….

I’m a bit puzzled as to why they referenced the Expedition so much because it’s Explorer sized and is/was supposed to wear the Explorer nameplate. It is radically different in styling. Mix the new Polestar 3, a 1995 Taurus wagon, and a bit of the new European Explorer EV onto an Explorer for size and proportion purposes and that is what will be…….

This might be that skunks works project…S650 yes but coupe turns into more of a shooting brake/hatch for a Raptor treatment. I’ve heard of a few possibilities…will be interesting to see what it actually ends up looking like.