2005Explorer

I’d question how profitable a brand is (no matter the ATPs and doubt they are much better than high end Fords) when you’re selling around 100k vehicles annually and you have to supply that brand with very unique vehicles that share little besides powertrain and chassis with a Ford. Not to mention all of the dealer support, marketing, and additional costs brought on by a standalone brand. It would be much more profitable to just introduce a Ford trim level that matches the Lincoln at the very top. People are already spending $100k+ on Ford branded vehicles. Lincoln as a brand has zero respect in the luxury market these days. It’s not that they are bad vehicles it’s just Lincoln is the brand your late uncle drove in his later years and it was probably a Town Car. I think I read once where Lincoln is actually a net loss brand and is only kept alive because the Ford family wants it to live. Anyhow we’ll see how a Lincoln Bronco does, but I don’t have high hopes. I’m just being realistic about the crowd that buys expensive off road luxury SUVs and how they view Lincoln as a brand.

I see the Lincoln “Bronco” failing in the market. Lincoln as a brand is on life support and I don’t see it attracting people who want European luxury SUVs like Mercedes and Land Rover. If the F-100 is based on the ROW Ranger SD I see it as mostly a commercial product. I suppose the thought is that most consumers will go to the Bronco pickup, but when looking at things like payload and towing it’ll likely be limited considering the Bronco SUV. Also it’s going to be heavier than the Ranger and Ford will likely continue with a standard 2.3 EcoBoost so performance will take a hit. I think the Fathom might do ok, but the current political environment in the US is not very favorable to EVs. If they can keep the price down that might make it more attractive for city use type situations. I don’t have access to Ford’s actual plans like it sounds you do. I really think splitting the BOF midsized up isn’t going to do a lot for sales. If the whole idea of the F-100 is to make a truck that competes and is priced closer to the F-150 people will just get an F-150. Also, I would assume that all of the cool editions (Raptor, Tremor, etc.) of a midsized would go to the Bronco pickup and not an F-100 since it sounds like according to you it’s being positioned as mostly a commercial vehicle.

Ford should probably take a good look at how Ranger has performed in North America versus the Jeep Gladiator before they drop the Ranger. I have a 2026 Ranger Raptor and I don’t see any reason it should be discontinued and replaced by a Bronco pickup that will only be attractive to a small group of customers. Also, some talk about an F100 to be a more mainstream replacement, but why drop a legendary nameplate with cool models like the Raptor to just make a generic F100?

I already received a recall about a trailer connection software issue on my 2026 Ranger I bought in late February that I need to get fixed and now this just dropped... "Ford is recalling about 140,000 2024‑2026 Ranger trucks due to a sun‑visor wiring issue that could cause an electrical short and fire in the A‑pillar, and will provide free inspections, wiring‑harness replacements, and a software update." 2 recalls in 2 months. Haha. I'm waiting for a dozen more to drop.

I just got a new 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor and to my surprise I learned today that the '24 and '25 had signal lights on the mirrors. Mine? Like a magic trick... Deleted.

I was one of the Ranger sales. My 2026 Ranger Raptor in Marsh Gray. I saw it sitting in front of my local Ford dealer and decided it was time to upgrade from my 2022 Ranger Tremor.

As a 2026 Ranger Raptor owner I would agree with this statement. It’s “OK” but I’d question if B&O had anything to do with that audio system other than supplying a branded logo. It’s pretty much what Ford would have branded “Ford Premium Sound” back in the day. The best sounding stock Ford audio I ever had was in a 2005 Explorer with the “premium sound” including a factory subwoofer in the back cargo area. IIRC it was a system made by Visteon. I don’t know who is currently Ford’s audio supplier, but it’s not B&O.

I think the 5.0 V8 is a better V8 offering in a light duty versus the 7.3 which seems much more focused to heavy duty work versus day to day performance. Ford offers the Powerboost if you really need the ultimate in towing capacity. Basically if the 5.0 isn't V8 enough you're likely overworking an F-150 anyhow.

I know people that have recently bought F150s that wanted the V8 as well so it's not just GM or Ram thing. Although Ford sells more V6 Ecoboosts it is smart to offer a V8 option. From everything I've read the 5.0 V8 accounts for about 20-25% of F-150 sales. That's a plenty large enough share to continue to offer it and give buyers a choice. The fact that the F150 uses the same block and many components of the 5.0 in the Mustang likely helps keep costs lower with the increase in production volume. Ford has been smart to continue the 5.0 V8 in the F-150 and I'd argue it's the best V8 in a 1/2 ton truck offered right now by any manufacturer. The GM V8s (especially the 6.2) is plagued with problems. The HEMI is very inefficient for it's size and has had a host of it's own issues.

There was a former member of this site that banned himself wanting Ford to spin off Ford Blue from Ford Motor Company ASAP. If they’d had done that Ford would have been bankrupt. The spin off probably would have survived, but the original company going forward as Ford Model e only? Toast.

I don't care what anyone says... Ford isn't Ford without a sedan. I'd love to see this added to the line-up.

It didn’t need any reinforcement on the 2019-2023 models. Why would they go backwards on bed strength?

You're right it can be and you absolutely need a vehicle mix that can bring in more price conscience buyers along with those aspirational vehicles that make huge profit. Affordable vehicles can be attractive and sell in enough volume to make good profits. I believe Ford knows this as a mainstream brand. I just brought up the example of Stallantis because they took the route of short term profits by jacking up prices to astronomical levels while cutting almost every affordable model out of their line. If you've been following any of the news their current situation is turning into a disaster. I'm friends with a young man who was at a Ram dealership and he transferred to a Chevy dealership owned by the same company. He was literally making no money trying to sell Ram trucks. He said the lot was full of overpriced old stock that nobody wanted. Stallantis expected them to sell overpriced stuff that was sitting on the lot well over a year without incentives. Luckily he's at a Chevy dealer now and can sell product because they have a good selection of vehicles that are attractive to all different types of customers. He's making a lot more money at the Chevy dealership. I think it's safe to assume the dealership that's moving a lot of metal on a daily basis is making more money than the dealer with product just sitting there even if the handful they can move in the month have great ATPs.

It's not really working for Stallantis. Sure ATPs on that chart above look amazing until you realize how much lot rot is going on. You can buy brand new 2022 and 2023 Jeeps and Rams. Now they have to idle some plants for months? Terrible management only looking at ATPs and nothing else. There has to be balance between volume and profit margin to keep a healthy business.

I think trying to turn Ford into an exclusivity brand would work about as well as it has for Stallantis trying to do the same with Jeep and Ram.

Stallantis already tried that with ridiculous price increases on Jeeps and Rams. Jeeps and Rams fill the lots and aren’t selling. Some dealers have 3 model years still sitting on the lots. Short term it made for great profits, but long term it's been a disaster.

That all might be true, but spec wise it's virtually identical in rear legroom to the last gen. To be fair I haven't sat in one to see for my own eyes, but interior specs are all within an inch.

I'm guessing the engineers had a pretty tight budget on the Ranger refresh and that's why the cab was carried over, however if you start stretching the cab way out without widening it it'll look goofy. If you also widen it a few inches while stretching it what's the point? You basically have built a 98% F-150. The Maverick actually has a little more cab room than the Ranger if you want a bit more. The new Ranger is likely not doing that well because of a few reasons. Supply is probably the biggest one, but when lots are full of F150s discounts are available on them. Throw a more affordable Maverick under it and discounted F150 STXs above it and it has a very narrow market lane. I have a Ranger because it's what I consider to be the perfect size and capability for me, but I'm not your average customer.

It's down 12 HP because they are sticking a gas particulate filter on it. I expect more check engine lights in the future for these owners. Just ask modern light duty diesel owners about emissions issues.

It must have been a cost constraint to use the existing greenhouse on the new model because it is larger, but only because the sheet metal is pushed out more to cover the slightly wider track. The slight increase in wheelbase just pushed the wheels a bit further apart, but didn’t change the body length. As was true with the previous Ranger the Maverick still has slightly more interior volume. Of course I honestly don’t think these two vehicles are as cross shopped as some people think. They are definitely aimed at two different customers.

Ironically Stellantis is doing the exact opposite right now and putting Europe in control of North America.

I'm not saying they don't sell them, but I've noticed a few of the same Platinum ones sitting there at least 6 months. The fact is sales will continue to go down slowly year after year at this point. If we go by the last 5 years within 5 years the average ATP on a mid-level F150 will hovering around $80k. Middle class just can't swing that anymore. Of course it's exactly what one group in DC wants. Drive prices so high people can no longer own a personal vehicle and have to rely totally on the government for transportation.

Around here the local dealers can sell an STX 4x4 with a V8 off the transport truck while the optioned out high end trims which can cost up to $20k more sit around. It's not that they don't stock STXs or lower optioned XLTs it's just that they sell fast. Now different areas have different income demographics and different customers. I live in a very rural area and for the country folk they still really like V8s for pickups that end up in small towns or out at the farm or ranch. I'd say getting the right product/price matters a lot on the local market. Just the fact that RAM and Toyota have completely gotten rid of the V8 option (Not to mention RAM and Toyota have generally lost their mind with pricing) will push some of those customers to Ford or GM products in the 1/2 ton market.

Product mix can be blamed all day long, but the fact that new vehicle prices have increased on average $10,000 since 2020 coupled with high interest rates might also play a part in inventory sitting on dealers lots.

That seems to be the model Stellantis is going with, but I think Farley is correct that you need a wide range of models from affordable to expensive. Remember affordable models can be quite profitable. You need volume if you want to remain a relevant player in the market or you just end up with jokes like the Dodge Hornet. I understand that people on this message board are not interested in affordable vehicles. Most of you can pay cash for an $80-100k vehicle and are happy to do so, but if you look at demand for attractive vehicles $35k and under it's high right now. The lots are full of very expensive full sized trucks and the affordable vehicles are flying off of them. A proper mix is important.