bzcat
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Posts posted by bzcat
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Ford China is launching a new Transit in China.
Looks like it is the Mk4 RoW model but revised with different front end and interior. Ford didn't introduce the Mk4 in China when it came out in 2014, and instead went with Transit Custom. It is now being introduced in China - Perhaps the new look will eventually make it to Europe and North America?
edit: The interior is from the current Chinese Transit Custom, which is currently sold as Transit (no Custom suffix) but Ford is also being renamed as Tourneo in China to focus on passenger van market so looks like Transit will be Transit again in China.
https://www.autohome.com.cn/news/202307/1286894.html#pvareaid=102624
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1 hour ago, Rick73 said:
Global warming is real. Wednesday Texas set an all-time electricity usage record due to unusual air conditioning loads. Thursday broke the record again, and it may fall again today. There is no doubt of global warming, and also that we are running out of time. However, that we have a “global” massive problem doesn’t mean that switching to BEVs will save us, even if we could do 100% transition overnight.As long as electricity is generated with fossil fuels, which is the case in the vast majority of the planet and will remain that way for a long time, a BEV will NOT decrease GHGs significantly more than fuel efficient hybrids like Prius and similar vehicles; if at all. We need to push efficiency in every aspect of life, and have to be smart because we have limited resources. I completely agree we are running out of time, but think we need to do more in areas other than BEVs, even if we delay transition.
I don’t expect you to belief me, but just look at global CO2 levels and see for yourself that we are not accomplishing much of anything towards saving humanity. Hybrid versus BEV won’t make a significant difference anyway — it is a drop in proverbial bucket.
You are assuming electricity will forever be generated with fossil fuel, which is just not the case. The power industry is also undergoing significant paradigm shift. The US for example, will be virtually free of coal power by around 2040 to 2045 timeframe. Our problem now is we can't use all of the cheap renewable power generated at peak because we don't have enough grid level storage capacity.
Vehicle tailpipe emission accounts for almost 20% of global CO2 emission. You can significantly reduce CO2 if you aggressively replace the fleet. The source of electricity will get cleaner and less carbon intensive year over year which is why rapid introduction of EV is crucial to combating global warming. Hybrids prolong fossil fuel dependence and doesn't benefit from electric grid that is shedding carbon.
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23 minutes ago, Deanh said:
based on the "save the earth mentality" being inaccurately promoted...Im not quite sure "efficiency" is a box people check.... and...Gasoline has about 100 times the energy density of a lithium-ion battery....and...fuel cells are approximately 2.5 times more efficient than gasoline engines....So...what bodes for BEVs future....going to be interesting...
You are just regurgitation bunch of misinformation.
Hydrogen is made from fossil fuel. And it is net-negative meaning it takes more energy to produce than it is available to consume. So the efficiency at the end point doesn't make up for the massively inefficiency upstream. Converting our transportation fleet to hydrogen will cause massive increase in CO2 emission.
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There is also the point that if we rely on hybrids, it prolongs the use of fossil fuel in transportation and the associated network effect on both upstream and downstream emissions in other sectors. We don't have the luxury of time for that to make a dent in global CO2 emission by doing a slow hybrid transition... the window on that expired back in early 2000s. Look at the extreme temperatures wide swath of North America and Europe is suffering from right now... If the rich industrial countries do not speed up transition to EV, it will have catastrophic consequences for lower income countries by mid century.
One other thing to remember when talking about hybrids... When Akio Toyoda was talking about hybrids, he was really talking about a mass unemployment problem for Japan. Farley for example has talked candidly about how much less labor hours are required to build EV vs. ICE and why Ford is shutting down plants in Europe. For Japan and Germany, the switch to EV really does mean looming massive layoffs that have societal implications. This is one reason Japanese Govt and car companies are so interested in hydrogen. It preserves the status quo on the industrial base and employment levels. Toyoda only brought up hybrids because he knows hydrogen is a technology dead end. But Toyota can ride the hybrid thing for another 15 years without making difficult decisions on massive layoffs and plant closings in Japan which will present a difficult political problem for the company.
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2 hours ago, Chrisgb said:
I am surprised at how far down Texas is. I would bet that North Dakota is in the top 3 for number of utility and cargo trailers. If you see a pickup that's not pulling something, it looks like something's missing.
Texas is a big state with lots of vehicle sales and highly urbanized population (despite popular perception, it is one of the top urban states in terms of population distribution). The top 10 states with highest truck % are all rural states without big cities and all have tiny populations and miniscule overall vehicle sales, and quite a few of them are mining/farming states where commercial truck fleets probably accounts for significant portion of vehicle registration.
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Very interesting that Ford has backed away from calling this Explorer. I guess they are trying to avoid market confusion since they are keeping the ICE Explorer in production indefinitely.
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They are taking the inventory in a point in time without any context. The churn rate is simply inventory on hand (point in time) divided by average sales volume (over time). Ford didn't produce any Mach E for 3 months and the sales volume fell as a result. And Ford started shipping them again at the end of June. So of course there is all of a sudden a glut of inventory in transit and arriving on dealer lots while average sales volume had been depressed due to previous inventory shortage. Things should even out in a couple of months.
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3 hours ago, Rick73 said:
Glad to see E-Series doing so well. Sales growth suggests planned upgrade is justified. Hope it is significant.
Not sure I understand second-quarter difference between Mach-E sales and manufacturing. What limited sales?
Ford shut down the plant for a few months to upgrade it (increase capacity). So delivery fell behind since most of Mach E sales is build to order.
Ford also announced Mach E will launch in several export markets later this year which coincides with production bump that is happening now that won't translate into higher sales in the US.
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1 hour ago, akirby said:
Not 600k sales for 2023. 600k run rate. Meaning 50k monthly sales.Also 600K run rate was worldwide not US. Puma and EU Explorer are launching later this year so it's possible we may get close. With MACH E now back to normal delivery and growing with additional capacity, it's reasonable to think they can hit 20~25k EV deliveries a month in the US soon. And if EU kicks in with 10-15k a month in Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Courier, MACH E, Puma, and Explorer, you are almost there.
I think if Ford misses this target it will be due to lack of progress being made in China.
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1 hour ago, akirby said:
Haven’t been able to find numbers but F series and Silvererra combined are usually very close every year so I think it would still be close to 50/50.Also note that chart was from 2017.
GM has outsold Ford the last couple of years but for many years in the 2000s and early 2010s, Ford did in fact outsell the GM twins combined. Mostly on the strength of Ford's dominance in fleet and the fact F-series included medium duty 450 and 550 sales. GM as we know, didn't have anything in the 450/550 class until recently.
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6 hours ago, jpd80 said:
I wonder if Ford found a use for slightly changed Amorok panels….
Hemm.... Amarok has square wheel arch ?
_Wildtrak_IMG_7320.jpg/1024px-Ford_Ranger_(T6,_P703)_Wildtrak_IMG_7320.jpg)
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On 6/23/2023 at 7:34 PM, ausrutherford said:
Ranger has been announced to be built by JMC-Ford, so not just a rumor.
Oh I missed this... do you have a link to Ford's press release?
Make sense they will do it. I assume Ranger will slot in above Dadao. The pickup market in China is interesting to watch... it is just starting to heat up.
Edit - found it: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fap/cn/en/news/2023/04/17/ford-brings-adventure-inspired-lineup-to-2023-auto-shanghai.html
Now I'm really curious how much of Dadao is related to T6. Same wheelbase, shared interior switch gear, same gas engine, shared misc exterior parts (e.g. exterior mirrors seems to be identical to Ranger).
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There is also an EV version although that hasn't gone on sale yet
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Ford launched this new pickup truck model at the Shanghai Auto Show 2 months ago but it escaped noticed... at least on this website.
I think there is some interesting stuff going on here if you peak at the spec sheet. For example, the wheelbase is 3270mm which is exactly the same as Ranger. Powertrain is 2.3 EcoBoost or 2.3 Puma Diesel paired with 8 speed auto of unknown origin. The interior switch gears seems to be lifted from the Ranger as well but it has different dash and layout. Exterior styling is also Ranger-esque in some key area like the side but has a F-150 inspired grill and headlight. It does have square wheel opening which is a Chevy thing.
Ford Authority says it is a new platform but I'm not sure. T6 platform has been in production in China for many years (Everest) so seems natural that Ford will be using what it has already got. Pricing starts near the middle of the JMC Yuhu range and goes up from there but it's unclear if it will replace the Yuhu. For now, Ford will sell all 3 pickup models side by side:
- Baodian (cheapest)
- Yuhu
- Dadao
There was rumor that Ford will introduce Ranger in China with the new gen but I guess that may not happen yet.
https://fordauthority.com/2023/03/jmc-dadao-pickup-debuts-with-ford-ecoboost-power/
https://www.autohome.com.cn/news/202304/1283234.html#pvareaid=3454480
More photos here: https://car.autohome.com.cn/pic/series/7195.html
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Mach E is having the same problem the rest of the Ford brand is facing in China... it is not on the mind of consumers. Ford squandered its market lead with MK2 Focus and the initial launch of Kuga and let its product age beyond reason in a market where 3 year model cycle is the norm. Chinese EV buyers are not thinking Ford... they barely know it exists since Ford's market share and presence has fallen so much in the last decade.
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Dakar is primary marketing push for the ROW. Using Bronco wouldn't bring significant marketing return since Ford doesn't sell it where people who care about rally races generally live i.e. Europe
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2 hours ago, akirby said:
Of course that’s only one piece but Ford’s e-cvt is far more fuel efficient than the RWD 10 speed which wasn’t designed for hybrid duty.F-150 Powerboost, Aviator GT, and Explorer hybrid would like to have a word with you ?
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On 6/3/2023 at 8:35 AM, silvrsvt said:
There really isn't any need for a hybrid 3.0L ecoboost. The 2.3L Hybrid would be the smarter bet because it would allow for an extra 40HP via the Hybrid setup, allowing it slot around the 2.7L in power numbers, but hopefully offering better MPGs around town and powerboost options.
Ranger hybrid would have to be a global product and there is absolutely no chance a 3.0 hybrid will find market acceptance outside the US.
2.3 hybrid makes all the sense in the world and will be the way forward. Remember, it is replacing the 3.0 V6 diesel for the most part... so it will be a significant improvements on many fronts for buyers opting for the hybrid (or PHEV) vs. the diesel.
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On 6/2/2023 at 12:10 PM, 7Mary3 said:
It will be interesting to see where Ford Otosan's heavy truck business goes. I don't think they have the resources to go it alone concerning electrification/fuel cells, so I figure they may either form a JV with another manufacturer or simply stay in markets like Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Ford's truck operations are a bit tactical and regional not strategic and global. The three parts (Ford Otosan, JMC, Ford US) are operating separately and there isn't much synergy. Really not sure what Farley wants to do but transition to ZEV will not work on regional basis. None of the 3 surviving truck operations generate enough cash to justify the investment so Ford may be just going to sit on the business and see what happens. The US ops can always leverage off F-Series investments and limp along. Ford Otosan and JMC would have to bend together and find a way out. The problem is Ford Otosan is focused on heavy duty while JMC is exclusively medium duty... no synergy.
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12 hours ago, sullynd said:
“Falcon” is also available…
So are Galaxie and Gran Torino.
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2 hours ago, Joe771476 said:
Why don't they use the blue oval logo?
The entity Ford Otosan is a joint venture like Auto Alliance, BlueOval SK, Chang'an Ford, JMC, or Ford Lio Ho. So it has its own logo. These are all primarily production oriented joint ventures.
But all the vehicles it produce are designed by Ford and carry the blue oval logo: Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Courier, EcoSport, Puma, Cargo, F-Max
If we think a vehicle produced by Ford Otosan is not a real Ford, then neither are Ranger produced by Auto Alliance, nor anything produced in China by Chang'an Ford and JMC.
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20 hours ago, ausrutherford said:
Saying this is a "Ford" is like saying all Chinese made Fords are "Ford"s. JV Fords are still Fords.
Correct, Ford Otosan is the name of the company, not Otosan. Ford Otosan is synonymous with Ford Turkey.
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This is the twice delayed GE2 Explorer.
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10 hours ago, jasonj80 said:
From the 2019 it is sad how much has been removed from the Edge. Co-worker had a 2019 and just got a 2022 and makes comments on how much a POS it is from her 2019 and how she should have bought her lease out. One odd thing the Edge still has is the ability to change the color of the ambient lighting, that has been removed from almost every other Ford. (Even the $100,000+ Trucks)
I did see at least in the release that the Heated Wiper Park is back for the Ranger after being discontinued. In typical Ford fashion that should be removed by 2025 or 2026. With the success of the Hybrid Maverick and Power-boost F-150 no Hybrid at launch is a big mistake. I also see why they wanted to release the Ranger before the Tacoma.I think it is a strategic blunder that 2024 Tacoma (and likely 2025 Hilux too) will launch with a hybrid and there is no response from Ranger, at least not until mid cycle update in 2027 or 28.
Ranger is Ford's 3rd best selling nameplate after F-150 and Transit and a major profit driver. It's unfathomable that P703 program didn't have EV or PHEV development baked in from the start.
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Official '24 Ford Ranger NA Release
in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
Posted
Some photos of Jiangling Ford Ranger... haven't seen them before.
The Wildtrak 1st edition model has a different grille from the US or RoW version.
https://www.autohome.com.cn/news/202307/1286648.html#pvareaid=3454480