rperez817

From what you remember, was your rental Kia Telluride an LX model (photo below)? Most Tellurides tested by professional reviewers have been higher trims, such as the SX model in Motor Trend's comparison test. But even the base Telluride LX should have better quality materials and fit & finish than base model Explorer or Traverse.

Good points akirby sir, I agree that the adjustment may not be enough. The FAQ is from 2014 or 2015. I wonder if the EPA finally switched to using E10 for their testing by now?

Wow, that is so cool Black Label sir! Your old neighborhood is on the other side of Candleridge Park from where my family and I reside, within a short walking or bicycling distance. Both my sons attended Southwest High School, just down Altamesa Blvd. from where you grew up. Small world indeed! ?

Yes sir Black Label, you are absolutely correct about the 817. I'm in SW Fort Worth, Candleridge neighborhood a few miles south of Hulen Mall.

MPG is not a linear measure of fuel consumed. That means a 1 MPG increase with starting point of 20 MPG has a much greater impact on fuel expenditures than a 1 MPG increase from 35 MPG starting point. So consumers shopping for gasoline powered midsize and fullsize SUVs that have MPG ratings in the low 20s or below are being very logical when they pay attention to 1-2 MPG differences among models.

Yes sir, but EPA fuel economy ratings are adjusted down to account for that. See item #5 in attached FAQ from EPA. P100IENB.pdf

EPA estimated fuel economy for 2020 Explorer 2.3L 2WD is best in class at 24 mpg. But real world testing shows a different picture. In Motor Trend's test loop (5 x 25 mi.), Explorer 2WD got 18.9 mpg. This was worse than Pilot (21.2 mpg), Traverse (19.7), Telluride (19.7), and Palisade (19.2). All except Traverse had AWD. It's probably best that Ford not tout Explorer's fuel economy in its marketing. Last year, Ford got hit with a $1.2 billion lawsuit regarding alleged misstatement of fuel economy for 2019 Ranger and F-150. https://www.hbsslaw.com/uploads/case_downloads/ford-ranger/2019-05-06classactioncomplaint1123731.1.pdf

Alameda County issued shelter in place directive a week later, on March 16.

You are correct dlghtjr90 sir. The 2020 Explorer order guide ice-capades posted to this site shows Ford's expected breakdown for sales by trim level. 5% Base, 39% XLT, 21% Limited, 20% ST, and 15% Platinum.

Do you know if production will resume at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant April 14? It wasn't mentioned in the Detroit Free Press article.

S&P downgraded Ford's credit rating to junk (BB+) on March 25. Ford also received a downgrade from Moody's to Ba2. https://seekingalpha.com/news/3555250-ford-credit-rating-cut-to-junk-s-and-p-moodys-also-warns

These flaws were mentioned in the Motor Trend comparison test article and other reviews. This is for 2020 Explorer XLT. 10-speed automatic transmission, inconsistent shift quality and responsiveness 2.3L engine, uneven power delivery High interior noise levels Suspension tuning, unsettled ride Poor interior material quality, fit, and finish (Motor Trend called it "heinously cheap") Unsupportive driver's seat (Motor Trend called it "gooey")

Hopefully Covid-19 induced downturn doesn't cause Ford to give up on an emergency refresh for Explorer. The current gen has a lot of potential. But the many design and engineering flaws in the 2020 model year vehicle need to be fixed soon.

Motor Trend comparison test of midsize 3 row crossovers. https://www.motortrend.com/cars/kia/telluride/2020/3-row-midsize-suv-comparison-test/

NVH issues on the Ford 1.5L 3-cylinder engine aren't minor. That engine's obnoxious, grating noise and vibration especially at lower speeds is bad enough to be a dealbreaker. People like HotRunr, T-Dubz, rperez817, and professional reviewers who have experienced that engine in other Fords can vouch for that. Consumer Reports, in its review of 2020 Ford Escape with that engine goes as far as to say, "We would choose the 2.0-liter engine or the hybrid because the noise and vibration that occurs at low revs on the standard 1.5-liter engine is too annoying to live with."

Update as of March 21. Both plants announced shutdowns in the past 24 hours. BMW Spartanburg is suspending production April 3-19. https://gsabusiness.com/news/manufacturing/78179/ Daimler (MBUSI) is suspending production March 23-April 6. https://mbusi.com/tz-home/60-team-zone As of March 21, all U.S. light vehicle assembly plants (mass produced passenger cars and light trucks) at all automakers have shut down production lines or are planning to do so within the next couple weeks. As mentioned earlier in this thread, supply chain constraints caused a shutdown at the Kia KMMG plant earlier in the week, but plant managers said that was temporary and the Kia KMMG plant will resume operation on March 23. Remains to be seen whether or not that happens.

Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia suspended production yesterday and today due to "supply chain issues", but will resume production March 23. https://www.wtvm.com/2020/03/19/kia-motors-manufacturing-west-point-temporarily-suspend-production-due-supply-chain-issue/ Summary of U.S. light vehicle assembly plants production status next week, by manufacturer as of 12 PM CDT, March 20, 2020. BMW (Spartanburg): operational Daimler (MBUSI): operational FCA: suspended Ford: suspended General Motors: suspended Honda: suspended Hyundai (HMMA): suspended Kia (KMMG): operational Nissan: suspended Subaru (SIA): suspended Tesla: suspended Toyota: suspended Volkswagen (Chattanooga): suspended Volvo (Ridgeville): suspended

Updates as of March 20 from European automakers with U.S. plants. Volkswagen, Chattanooga plant production suspended March 21-29. https://media.vw.com/releases/1269 Volvo, Ridgeville plant production suspended March 26-April 14. https://www.postandcourier.com/health/covid19/volvo-temporarily-closing-sc-other-plants-due-to-coronavirus/article_25e08da2-6aa5-11ea-9056-af6c129aca07.html BMW, Spartanburg/Greer plant still operational. Company states "We recognize that we are in a dynamic situation and we are prepared to adjust quickly based on the daily analysis of the current environment." https://www.foxcarolina.com/investigations/bmw-usa-releases-statement-as-greer-plant-remains-operational/article_000a352a-6950-11ea-8edc-47a878ff5fb4.html Daimler, MBUSI plant still operational. Company states "As the CDC updates recommendations, we will be implementing these in conjunction with current pandemic planning. The next steps will likely involve business/community mitigation steps to reduce the spread of the virus. Business units are reviewing and updating current pandemic plans." https://www.mbusi.com/home/covid-19 FCA, production suspended at all North American plants March 18-31 as mentioned in the OP

Thank you theoldwizard sir. Buying a poorly performing stock like F for the dividend is foolish. Except maybe for very sophisticated investors able to use hedging/short strategies and limit their losses.

Not stupid at all. Over the past week, there was conflicting info from federal, state, and regional/municipal governments concerning the operation of Tesla's Fremont plant. These have been clarified, and as mentioned earlier, production is suspended at that plant starting March 24.

That's what Tesla is doing for employees at its Fremont assembly plant. The plant is shutting down production lines by COB March 23.

Update for Tesla: Production lines at the Fremont plant shut down starting March 24. It's not known when production will resume. Tesla already sent home 75% of that plant's employees earlier this week. https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-factory-coronavirus-shutdown-march-24/

Subaru is the latest automaker to suspend production in the U.S. SIA plant in Lafayette, Indiana will shut down March 23-29. http://www.subaru-sia.com/ Also, update from Toyota. They are extending their production suspension until April 3. Production expected to resume April 6. https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-extends-production-suspension-at-all-plants-until-april-3/

Yes, to a certain extent. But the main reason Ford traditionally has high inventory levels is that Ford's standard operating procedure is to produce beyond actual customer demand, pressure dealers to accept the surplus, and then start pushing large financial incentives to both dealers (floorplan assistance) and customers (rebates). In recent years, Ford sometimes overproduced so much that dealers actually stopped accepting extra vehicles, which had to be stored in overflow lots.

Jim Hackett has his work cut out for him! It's been tough enough for him trying to get Ford fit again in the past couple years. With this "crisis", Hackett will have to put forth almost superhuman effort to save the company and make it healthy for the years to come.