mackinaw

Different people, same building.

Henry Payne, auto writer for the Detroit News, is 6'5" tall. His comments: "I can’t tell you how many women have approached me over the years asking for compact utes that fit four golf bags. Behold, the new Escape (Ford expects a 60%-plus female buyer mix) which will stack four easily and still provide the best rear legroom in class. I’m not making this up. Thanks to rail-mounted rear seats that slide backward like the fronts, my 6-foot-5 frame could easily sit behind myself. Ford even scallops out the front seatbacks for more knee room." https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/henry-payne/2019/09/19/review-new-2020-ford-escape-hybrid-test/2335907001/

Bill Ford makes a point of driving competing products on his drive to the office. I do know he drove some sort of Tesla for awhile.

99.9% of the people in this country have no idea of any of this.

It was written by Free Press newcomer, Phoebe Wall Howard, who admitted in her first column she knows nothing about cars or the industry. I'm surprised at her naiveté. She seems shocked that car manufacturers often have start-up problems. Not to excuse Ford, but stuff like this does happen, Witness last year's difficult launch of the new Ram. It was rumored it cost FCA over $300 million to address launch quality issues.

It is interesting. Ford, GM, Rivian and Tesla are all in on BEV pickups. FCA and Toyota aren't. Some say they'll sell well, others say "no way." We'll see how it shakes out.

Very interesting article on Automotive News about electric pickup trucks. One thing I noticed, nobody has a clue if anybody will buy them. For instance: "Beau Boeckmann, president of Galpin Ford in the Los Angeles area and one of the largest U.S. Ford dealers, said customers are already asking about the truck. "We're going to be shocked," he said. "I think the electric pickup truck has a huge future." Not everyone is so sanguine. Industry tracking firm IHS Markit has estimated the entire full-size electric truck segment will account for fewer than 30,000 sales in 2026, compared with an expected 2.3 million sales overall." "Detroit's other big automaker, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has no current plans for an all-electric Ram, while Toyota Motor Corp. is betting more heavily on a hybrid Tundra pickup. "The sliver of volume that's going to be electric pickups is not worthy of a business case," said one person familiar with Toyota's plans. "This is going to be a real watershed for the whole industry," Ford Chairman Bill Ford told Reuters in a recent interview. The automaker has disclosed few details about the electric F-series, but Bill Ford hinted the truck could have load-carrying space under the hood in addition to the traditional bed in the back. "You pick up all that extra space where the engine compartment has been," Ford said. An electric F-Series could be a work truck -- with its batteries functioning as a job site power source, he said. And it could be positioned as a high-performance vehicle next to the gas-fueled, 450 horsepower Raptor pickup truck. No subscription required, so the article should be available for all. https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/ford-gm-ramp-plans-electric-pickups?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=automotive news&utm_content=f6ed74e5-54d2-4e4e-99cc-f959177096c0

Listen to the Autoline Daily broadcast (link in first post). Probably a minute long.

And yet Tesla is still losing money.

People who live in rural areas (me) can travel great distances without having to use their brakes. Add zero degree winter weather and an old-fashioned ICE vehicle starts to looks petty darn good.

Henry Payne, auto writer for the Detroit News, owns a Model 3. He's reported that battery range drops by 50% in the middle of a cold Michigan winter.

From Autoline Daily. Range will be about 600 kilometers, or 370 miles using the European testing protocol. Probably about 330 miles using the EPA testing protocol. Go to the 2:26 mark. http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=63673

Detroit Electric pickup truck, circa 1913.

You have truly mastered the art of hyperbole.

Yep, GM sold both Opel and Vauxhall to PSA.