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rmc523

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Posts posted by rmc523

  1. 13 hours ago, tbone said:


    It didn’t really translate well did it.

     

    The problem with it was they just graphed the concept's lights onto the current model and pretended it was cool.

     

     

    The funny thing is, they had that Airflow concept which looked nice, and basically ready for production, and scrapped it to make this concept.

     

    Chrysler Teases New Airflow as 2022 New York Auto Show Concept

    • Like 1
  2. 12 hours ago, jpd80 said:


     

    Thinking about what you said above, Its possible that that the broader strategy looks at various 

    trim levels and bundled options to determine what is really needed - obligation of the 

    various bundled features adds a lot of complication, maybe that can be rolled into

    trim versions to lock in defined supplier amounts and further streamline the process?

     

    Sure beats the heck out of customer surveys, lots of data that’s factual, not subjective /customer feelings.

     

     

     

    I'd imagine they probably have data that says some high percentages that purchase "option package 1" also get "option package 2", so why not bundle them into one single package instead.

  3. 16 hours ago, jpd80 said:

    While I agree with sum of what you’re saying, we need to separate Musk the manager

    from Musk who gets on late at night texting or who gets hurt because people criticise  him.

     

    To the first point, Ford would kill to have someone who could make decisions and bet the farm on calculated guesses. That's what really speeds up decision making and keeps costs down by limiting the amount of cooks wanting to add their five cents worth….a big issue with a corporate like Ford where normal decisions get bogged down for weeks and months because the Ford bible says you can’t do that.

     

    To the second point, Musk’s character flaws are well known but the biggest one is his ego,

    surrounded by people who always agree and tell you that you’re right never ends well.

    Equally, working at Ford and having every decision questioned and  micromanaged is also a soul killer,

    so many talented people just give up and do what the boss wants so as not to be yelled at for having ideas.

     

    On topic regarding an affordable compact BEV,

    Ford keeps circling the airport on this one and unless I miss my guess, different people within Ford want different things. Ford Europe clearly has a desire to evolve its C2 platform into affordable BEVs (E-Max). Ford brass and North America would have none of it and signed up VW MEB architecture deal, Hackett called it job done but then after he took his golden parachute Ford realised that it was paying a big price for something it should be able to engineer internally. Now we’re back to a skunkworks doing an add on development of GE2 but for smaller vehicles….Ford groundhogs day.

     

     

    Yeah, to me, the Hackett move always seemed like a knee-jerk stopgap move to "catch up" temporarily while Ford worked on its own in-house stuff.

  4. 18 hours ago, jpd80 said:

    You know, I was just about to post that same thought, it seems like the natural thing to do.

     

    Just a thought on contingency plans,

    To save time and money, Ford could just  rebrand the Evos as the new Edge,

    it and Nautilus could be imported from China until OAC reconfigure is completed.


    Evos is not the proper form to be an Edge and would fail as “Edge” - id guess we’ll see 50/50 conquests from sedans and edge, as there could be some overlap but edge is higher and more upright  

     

    11 hours ago, tbone said:

    You read my mind. They’re building a brand new 5+ billion dollar plant as we speak for production of the next GEN Lightning,   The anticipating capacity of this plant is 500,000 vehicles. They’re having trouble selling 100,000 lightnings right now that are currently being built in another plant.
     

    Flex manufacturing has been the standard for a very long time, so I would anticipate this plant would be a flex plant like the rest. Why not consolidate all BEV production into this plant since they will have battery production on site, until BEV adoption becomes greater?

     

    They have been all over the place with their battery plant construction plans, but they certainly seem to need batteries, but more specifically hybrid batteries since their hybrid production always seems to be limited.  Can anyone explain the difference between a hybrid battery and a BEV battery?

     

    Ford has shown they’re willing to stop construction on new plants in the past, however, I don’t think they’re going to do that with BOC. With that said, they certainly could stop their plans at OAC, and Switch to an alternative. As stated above the obvious consideration would be to move Chinese Nautilus production to this facility, along with the C2 based Chinese edge L, perhaps with some styling changes, although it has grown on me,  but it does already exist.  And put the dang Evos there as well already. People like the MME, but I think they would just prefer a gas version. 
     

    I wonder if they’re still pumped about getting rid of all those ICE engineers? Ultimately, this has turned into a major debacle. If I care to guess nobody will be held accountable for it either.

    IMG_3554.jpeg

    IMG_3555.jpeg


    it looks better there than other photos

  5. 17 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

    We all like those positive surprise reveals. But you have to get the timing of a product reveal and release just right. You don't want to drop a product onto people with no hype or build up. But you also don't want don't want to reveal a concept car five years before it goes into production. 

     

    The affordable EVs Ford is referring to  are almost certainly at least 2-3 years out. If they showed a concept off now, most people would lose interest by the time they went into production. Better to wait to show something until we get closer to the release date. In terms of what we will see this year, my money is on the three rows, and t3, probably this summer at Detroit. 

     

    I understand that completely - I agree you don't want to show something too far out (unless a sort of design concept).  I just don't see the point of announcing this "skunkworks" team.....that won't produce anything until 2-3 years from now?

     

    Why bother?  It's just a "we're working on it!" announcement since they've screwed up/changed plans so much.

  6. 2025 Kia Carnival revealed with new hybrid powertrain option - Autoblog

     

    2025 Kia Carnival

    2025 Kia Carnival

    2025 Kia Carnival

     

     

    At the Chicago Auto Show, it revealed that the Carnival is getting a hybrid powertrain, helping it compete against the hybrid-only Toyota Sienna, and available plug-in hybrid in the Chrysler Pacifica.

    It's a familiar unit: the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder coupled with a 72-horsepower electric motor also found in the Kia Sportage and Sorento hybrids. It makes 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque between the engine and motor. The only transmission is a six-speed automatic, and like the standard V6 model, it just powers the front wheels.

     

     

    2025 Kia K5 gets new look, more power, and better tech in Chicago - Autoblog

     

    2025 Kia K5

    2025 Kia K5

    2025 Kia K5

     

  7. Ford Q4 2023 Earnings: $0.5 Billion Loss On $46B In Revenue (fordauthority.com)

     

    Ford Q4 2023 earnings were headlined by net loss of $526 million on $46 billion in revenue. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, the results represent a 138.5 percent decrease in net income and a 4.5 percent increase in revenue.

    The performance represents a net income margin of -1.1 percent, down 4 percentage points from 2.9 percent in Q4 2022. Earnings per share (EPS) diluted was -$0.13, down $0.45 from $0.32 over Q4 2022. Cash from from operating activities was $2.5 billion, up $1.3 billion or 108 percent from the $1.2 billion in Q4 2022.

     

    Ford Blue, the company’s gasoline and hybrid vehicle business, reported:

    • 758K vehicle deliveries, flat year-over-year
    • $26.2 billion in revenue, flat year-over-year
    • $813 million in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), down $736 million over a year ago, on to an EBIT-adjusted margin of 3.1 percent, down 2.8 percentage points

    Ford Model E, the automaker’s emerging electric vehicle division, posted:

    • 34K vehicle deliveries, up 14 percent year-over-year
    • $1.6 billion in revenue, up 2 percent year-over-year
    • -$1.57 billion in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), a loss that’s $939 million higher than during the same time frame a year ago, on to an EBIT-adjusted margin of -98.2 percent, down 57.8 percentage points

    Ford Pro, the division focused on commercial customers, posted:

    • 361K vehicle deliveries, up 1 percent year-over-year
    • $15.4 billion in revenue, up 11 percent year-over-year
    • -$1,811 million in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), up $361 million over a year ago, on to an EBIT-adjusted margin of 11.8 percent, up 1.3 percentage points

     

     

    Ford provided the following guidance ranges for 2024:

    • EBIT-adjusted of $10 billion – $12 billion
    • Adjusted free cash flow of $6 billion to $7 billion
    • Capital expenditures of $8 billion to $9.5 billion
    • Flat total costs on $2 billion in industrial cost improvements, offset by higher expenses for labor and major product refresh actions
    • Ford Pro EBIT of at least $8 billion to $9 billion
    • Ford Blue EBIT of about $7 billion to $7.5 billion
    • Ford Model E loss of $5.0 billion to $5.5 billion
    • Ford Credit Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) of about $1.5 billion
  8. 2 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

     

    Using this as deduction, with FRAP having height issues-

     

    2024 Mustang 55in tall

    2024 Monedo 59in tall

    2024 Taurus 59.2

    2024 Evos 63 in tall

    2024 Edge 68 in tall

     

    So the Edge is too tall, but is the Evos short enough to clear? Maybe some creative height solutions to make it fit?

     

    1 hour ago, silvrsvt said:

     

    Right but I don't think adding a sedan back the lineup would be exactly bright either. The Evos is different enough that its not quite a sedan not quite a station wagon or crossover too. 

     

    1 hour ago, akirby said:


    Zephyr would be a much better choice than Mondeo both for Ford and dealers.  
     

    Just imagine the options Ford would have if they had redone the paint shop at FRAP years ago.

     

     

    I think Evos would give them an entry into the "sedan" market BUT they'd be able to charge higher prices over a sedan because it's a liftback, which aligns better with their profitability goals.

     

    Not sure if it's slightly too tall vs. the Mondeo sedan, which is effectively a sedan version of Evos.

     

    Zephyr would also be a good choice - I think one good entrant in the segment would be fine for both brands (no need for a Continental size model, as sales taper off there too much to justify the cost).

    • Like 1
  9. On 2/6/2024 at 4:20 PM, joseodiaga4 said:

    So this is the upper trim for China or probably the 2025 Navigator

     

    Navigator is my guess - it looks more squared off than Aviator is.....we just all assumed it was Aviator given it was spied in an Aviator tester.

     

    On 2/7/2024 at 1:27 AM, tbone said:


    The interior isn’t that far removed from the old interior, so it’s going to age pretty quickly in this category.  

     

    Well, it's at least a good design, so even if it isn't "new", it still looks great.

     

    On 2/7/2024 at 7:46 AM, silvrsvt said:

    The CD6 Platform is supposed to get a major refresh in the next 3-4 years to allow it go into the next decade till its replaced by an EV platform. This nothing more then an MCE on a product that is about 5 years old and had a screwed up launch, then COVID hit. 

     

    aka 6-7 years when Ford's plans inevitably change as they always do and it gets put on the backburner lol.

    • Like 3
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