FordBuyer

And ending manual trans on many lines. Now the PDK is a great trans, but nothing like winding out a Flat 6 to red line. Unlike many V8s, the Flat 6 nontubo really kicks in after you pass 4500 rpm right up to about 7000 rpm much like the Voodoo Mustang GT350.

Yeah, Ford needs a Corvette competitor. How about a lightweight steel bodied Ford GT type vehicle turbo engined for about $75,000 base price. Build it along side the Mustang line. Ford has built a following with its Ford GT line over last 15 years. Now call it Thunderbird and make it more affordable instead of catering to the super rich only. GM proves that can be done with the mid engined super car Corvette.

For all this to happen, consumers actually have to buy BEVs. Other than Tesla, no one is buying them. The Bolt and Leaf are sales failures. Not sure how many are buying Plugins, but doesn't seem much. Mach E seems promising, but so far a modest start. Hybrids have had some sales success, but still modest compared to ICE. With gas still around $2, it will be very difficult to get most drivers out of their ICE vehicles. If you only sell electric, then drivers will turn to USED ICE. IMO, it will take a $3 gas tax to get drivers out of their ICE vehicles. And the politics of that are dubious at best. So talking about building 50,000 charging stations is a moot point if no one willingly buys BEVs. And without a huge gas tax, no one will in numbers to support 50,000 charging stations.

How about by 2025, 25% of all new vehicles sold will have some sort of big battery in it, be it BEV, Plugin hybrid, or hybrid. Also, Hyundai and Toyota are going the hydrogen fuel cell route. That is achievable I suppose. The 2021's are already filling up new vehicle inventories, so maybe even 25% is overly optimistic. And of course the used vehicle market that is 4 times larger, and almost all ICE and will be around for decades.

I like my wheels better.....

So what is the profit margin for Ford in China even in a good year? 2%? And on top of that like Korea, they copy you and build it cheaper. The new Sorrento looks like the Explorer for a cheaper price for example. I really don't get the business model other than Asia is a huge market. So is Europe, but almost impossible to make a decent profit margin. North America makes 90% of the profits and most years Europe, Asia, and South America lose money it seems. MONEY PITS.

Sport coupe market is not exactly growing. So Ford had to do something as the Sport coupe market slowly shrinks. Even Porsche understood that they had to do more than the 911 to survive. So brilliant move by Ford to expand the Mustang lineup into a growing segment. Being compared favorably to the Model Y is not a negative.

Don't worry. ICE vehicles will be around for many more decades. BEVs are not for everyone. No one even knows how many will eventually buy one. So far not many. Maybe 20% by 2035 and I think that is optimistic. Hybrids don't even make up 20% of new vehicle sales after many years.

Well, Ford is now most known for pickups and Van's. So might as well spend your resources on trucks. And maybe offroad machines. We will see how that goes in next couple years. Sedans are gone and Ford is average at best in CUV and SUV segment according to reviewers and customers. So let Ford make their stand on pickup trucks in all sizes and variants.

Covid is changing everything. LAP shut down all next week and maybe longer due to chip shortage. Detroit Auto Show shut down today also and much smaller show outside in Pontiac M1 race course.

Kia and Hyundai are gobbling up market share from Ford everywhere except pickups/Van's. That's what makes Bronco family so important with those two Korean juggernauts not able to compete just yet.

Congratulations Ford! Two out of three is not bad, especially when Ford doesn't even compete anymore in that segment. Hope you get your new grabber blue Mach E soon rperez.

Hmmmm... Mullinax Ford has 20 sitting on its new car lots. Even the tiny Ford dealer near me has 3 sitting out front.

I would hope the F150 Powerboost with a smaller V6. There is article today where new Powerboost owner is getting 29mpg. A hybrid Ranger with 300 hp and 32-35mpg and gobs of torque and power generator would be game changer in that segment.

Gas prices are moving up quickly with crude now over $50/barrel. Gas prices will follow soon. Gas prices have gone up .30 in last week here. Every Mach E review I've seen complains about Ford's charging technology. TFL had lots of trouble....took Ford sensors 5 minutes to even show charging status. Hopefully Ford can do some over the air updates very soon to improve charging viability.