rperez817

If Farley does that, it will be a huge step back for Ford, jeopardizing Farley's own ambition in the Ford+ plan to make Ford Motor Company "a truly great, world-changing company again".

Ford at least tried doing something about VW of America's shenanigans with EA in hopes of making for a better experience for Ford BEV customers. Ultimately, the best solution is migrating to Tesla's network.

There is no misunderstanding on Footballfan's or rperez817's part regarding that term. Wiki Encyclopedia article on badge engineering/rebadging confirms our understanding, and specifically notes Lincoln and Ford full size SUV as examples of badge engineering. Rebadging - Wikipedia

Footballfan's statement that the Lincoln product lineup contains a "badge-engineered Expedition" is 100% correct and has been the case for 25 years.

Mass adoption of BEV is well underway. Over 2 years ago, Professor Dans correctly predicted that the "tipping point" for BEV mass adoption would be reached in 2021 and summarized the 5 main factors associated with this market trend. The Five Factors Driving The Mass Adoption Of Electric Vehicles (forbes.com) Ford's ability to "provide the product" was a major issue following the initial release of Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, but this should be ameliorated nowadays thanks to the recent plant capacity expansions at CSAP and REVC.

Ford isn't pumping the brakes on BEV ramp up, quite the opposite actually. Earlier this year, Ford expanded production capacity at both Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly (home of Mustang Mach-E) and Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (home of F-150 Lightning). In Europe, Cologne Electric Vehicle Center started operations in June. Also, BlueOval City and BlueOval SK Battery Park are on track for SOP in 2025. Ford needs to do whatever it takes to achieve its goal of 2 million (or greater) BEV run rate by the end of 2026.

Good question joseodiaga4. The answer is lack of commitment from Ford corporate to the Lincoln brand.

According to Consumer Reports, MDX and XT6 have better reliability ratings than Aviator (which is one of the least reliable vehicles in their entire survey) but only slightly lower road test scores. Of the 3, MDX is easily the best choice overall.

Maybe Ford realized that it's one thing to compete, but quite another to win a competition. As such, should Ford focus on the areas it has a high likelihood of winning, the company should be in good shape. Ford Escape and to a lesser extent Edge and Transit Connect in the U.S. market are examples of Ford entering a competition, but not following through to win. By contrast, F-150 Lightning and to a lesser extent Mustang Mach-E represents an all-out commitment to win. This goes back to what Ford said in its annual report on how it plans to win with BEV.

2024 Hyundai Sonata N-Line photos.

What do you mean by "the hype is also quelling at an accelerated rate?" The Ford+ strategy involving BEV isn't based on hype. Ford's 2023 Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report states the following. Helping Build a Better World (ford.com)

Ford CFO John Lawler said that Model e division should be thought of as a startup, which is absolutely correct. Investing in capability, developing knowledge, building sales volume, and gaining market share is what Ford Model e should be and is doing nowadays. That's what will position Ford for success in an automotive industry future in which 100% electric vehicles is one key component.

Ford can retain the Escape and Edge nameplates if it so chooses, but any future BEV versions of those products need to be distinctive. The current ICE (including hybrid) versions of Escape and Edge simply get lost in the sea of boring 2-row crossovers. As for why Ford is throwing money at EVs, it's because Ford wants to survive as an automaker past 2025.

New Tesla Model 3 First Look: The Cheapest Tesla Gets Its Biggest Update Yet (motortrend.com) Highlights. Exterior: new front fascia, headlamp and taillamps, and wheel designs; 2 new colors (Ultra Red and Stealth Gray) Interior: higher quality materials; acoustic glass; redesigned dashboard, vents, steering wheel, and seating surfaces; 17-speaker audio system, 8.0" touchscreen for rear seat passengers, stalks for turn signal and PRND removed; ambient lighting; heated and ventilated seats standard Stiffer chassis and updated suspension damper & spring settings Deliveries to European and Middle Eastern customers expected in September - October 2023. Other markets TBD.

Definitely AM222. If Lincoln is to survive in the U.S. market at the end of this decade, it must transition to a 100% BEV product lineup by then. Fortunately, the current Lincoln brand theme of "Quiet Flight" is perfectly suited for that transition.

The improvements associated with Ford Escape's MY 2023 refresh aren't enough for the model to stay competitive in a very crowded segment. As Car and Driver said about the PHEV version (which is a much better product than the non-hybrid 1.5L version), 2023 Escape "struggles to make a mark". Ford is wise to kill it after the current model lifecycle and focus its efforts introducing new BEV models that stand out in the marketplace.

That comparison is ultimately meaningless. Longer term, Ford Escape sales over the 5 year period from 2017 to 2022 declined more than 55%.

Yup, it's best to wait until after the UAW negotiations for confirmation. But it's not surprising that Escape will be discontinued. The current generation Escape is woefully uncompetitive unless it's equipped with the hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or 2.0T powertrains. And those versions are in short supply.

Sadly, the only amazing thing about Lincoln since then is how dramatically it went from one of the top luxury car brands to irrelevance. ☹️

You are correct joseodiaga4, EV adoption overall isn't slow. However, internally at Ford, the company slowed production earlier this year of both F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E in order to expand their respective assembly plants. Additionally, in Europe Ford has postponed the start of production until late 2023 or early 2024 for Explorer EV due to UN Regulation 100.3/ ECE-R 100.3 compliance issues. In the U.S., Tesla Model Y actually outsold F-150 overall (ICE + Lightning versions combined) at retail for several months in 2023.

Very risky for the Ford brand, and an existential threat for Lincoln brand. Hopefully more new product announcements for both brands will come after the UAW and Unifor contracts with Ford are finalized (per what ice-capades shared earlier in this thread).

Good point Rick73. It's not surprising. But it is very sad that both Craig at Lincoln and Farley at the parent company appear to be slipping back into the "old world" of the automotive industry and some of Ford's own past bad habits.

Dianne Craig, the "new leader" mentioned in the OP, isn't helping matters based on what she said to Automotive News back in April.

Ford Pro announced new and expanded offerings for Level 2 AC and DC Fast Charging Stations today. Ford Pro Expands Charging Solutions Revealing New Lineup of Chargers for Commercial Customers | Ford Media Center Highlights. Ford Pro™ adds to its charging solutions roster, reveals new Series 2 AC Charging Station 80 amp and expands DC Fast Charger options. The new Series 2 charger is easier to use, service, and control with detachable cable and connector, RFID reader, increased connectivity, and primed for future standards and over the air updates such as new vehicle to charger communications. Ford Pro is laser focused on delivering reliable charging and scaling the adoption of EVs.

That was a surprising and worrisome statement last week from Farley. Upcoming all electric pony cars from Stellantis and GM will render what Farley described as a "partially electrified Mustang Coupe" uncompetitive and obsolete.