Trader 10

I’m confident the reveal will be well done and will generate a huge amount of attention.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/16/2021-ford-mustang-mach-1-revealed-shelby-parts/

I think Ford is right in delaying the intro - the Bronco won’t be in showrooms until spring 2021. I know everyone is anxious to see it but Showing it too far ahead of availability introduces the risk that interest may peak too soon.

The Mach E and Bronco were scheduled for fall launches before the shutdown.

Is NG Edge/Nautilus still CY 2022?

There hasn’t been any indication that the reveal will slip beyond early June. Mike Levine replied to a question on the Bronco reveal today with “Coming soon, stay tuned”. I’m betting next week or the week after is when it will be officially shown.

If that is true (and I’m not doubting it), then it points to Ford’s costs being too high relative to competitors (a terrible place to be) and not product mix.

Mike Levine tweeted that the F-150 reveal is Thursday June 25 at 8 PM EDT.

Seems like it is too early for Maverick if its at least two years off. How about a peak at Fusion Active (or whatever). I wonder if Ford will reveal the F150 before the Broncos.

I’m guessing we will get a few days advance notice of any product reveal through Mike Levine’s tweets. So far, nothing from him.

I remember someone (Fuzzy?) saying the plant was only running two shifts.

Ford has multiple plants that are underused - the Canadian plant that produces the Edge, the Mustang plant, and the Kentucky plant that makes Escape come to mind. The Hermosillo plant that currently makes Fusion/MKZ may have room for another 75 to 100K of production depending if any other products are assigned there beyond Bronco Sport, Transit Connect, and the small pick-up.

Lacking development resources makes all the money spent on the autonomous program particularly grating. Who in their right mind would short change product development to fund projects that are years from producing any returns, if any. It’s difficult for auto makers to generate much income when they have lots of excess capacity.

You’re right - car sales have shrunk , but its still a large market. Other than F150, which Ford models are selling as well as either Camry or Accord? Competition in the car market is not increasing, it is decreasing as US makers exit cars. Competition is increasing on the SUV and truck side where Ford is moving to. I still think Ford could make a reasonable profit on a NG Fusion which shouldn’t cost a fortune to develop as powertrains would be common to other C2 models and much would be shared with the NG Edge (just as it is now). A NG Fusion should be able to sell close to 100,000 units annually as long as it is class leading. Stop building the cheap fleet models and concentrate on the retail market with a really desirable model.Ford has lots of excess capacity, even if they make only a 3 or 4% return, for example, its still better than zero.

I don’t see much demand for a FWD based unit body truck costing $25 to $30K -at least not in the U.S. Those wanting a cheap truck I believe are looking for something more capable than this. The current Ranger offers that in the $25 to $30K range. I don’t see the appeal of this. Sure there are some that want something smaller than the Ranger but I don’t think that group constitutes many buyers.

Or maybe facetious. .

The large C will also include Edge/Nautilus (as opposed to CD6)?

Maybe PREMiERdrum can tell us if the Fusion will be sold in North America.

Borg is saying over on GMI that the Fusion Active is Europe only. Hope that’s incorrect.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/01/tornado-damaged-ford-supplier-to-reopen/

To me, the boxer engine is a minus, not a plus.

You’re killing me!! Actually, I think you’re correct. Going forward, all of Ford’s new models will be based on the Escape’s looks. It will be Ford’s take on “the beatings will continue until morale improves”.

Even with improvements in driver aids, it seems like Ford’s big investment in autonomous vehicles is a poor decision. You know that the autonomous vehicles likely to be available in 10 years will as RMC mentioned, run on extremely controlled routes which will be limited in total scope. Those vehicles will be the ultimate commodity vehicles as companies will run them only if the low cost option (and just use conventional cars with drivers otherwise).So even if Ford does develop a successful autonomous vehicle, it will be under intense cost pressure. Hard to see an 8% return on this investment.

Certainly a lot worse off given the current environment. Unfortunately, the billions allocated to mobility services rperez referred to are weighing heavily on Ford’s financial health now.

It will be years before any BEV products will reverse the market share erosion, especially given their premium pricing. What Ford needs to help with market share is a vehicle that will sell 100,000 or more units/year - like a C2 based Fusion sedan.