Assimilator

I thought I'd just mention that I've been seeing Aviator prototype running around with "DEF FUEL ONLY" stickers on the fenders. That typically means "Diesel Exhaust Fluid" or the urea-based agent added to keep Diesel engines cleaner. Could this mean we're getting Diesel engines for the Explorer and Aviator...perhaps for a different market? Although the prototypes are still fully covered, I can tell you that there are 2 different types of LED headlights on Aviator. The standard lights are more like the MKX than Nautilus/Continental (a row of compound reflectors instead of lenses), while the optional fixtures look like the Concept's, a set of square quad projector beams.

I don't think the updated Edge or Nautilus are going to really move the needle on sales, and if Explorer is indeed a RWD SUV than it will almost certainly cost more and be less appealing to entry-level customers unless AWD is standard (see previous point). I think Explorer is going to be a great vehicle but I don't see volume changing as competition eats away at the pie, same with the NG Escape. I think the only way Ford gains sales collectively after the car cull is through Ranger, Bronco, and Maverick...followed by other products like Mach 1. I'm not sure there is an immediate path toward marketshare growth but they need to make more money on the volume they have so I think sales declines are here to stay for awhile. The other enormous problem heading their way are the competitors about to beat the aging F-Series over the head and likely slow that train down until Ford comes up with the next big thing...which isn't exactly around the corner just yet. But Ford has been here before, they've had to shrink to grow again.

It's not that there isn't a market for sedans and will be for awhile, it will just shrink and remain unprofitable. Ford is particularly vulnerable to margins because they tend to sell on price first and foremost, that's just their customer base especially in cars.

The Detroit Show has always had the most elaborate and expensive exhibits and part of that may have been to maximize their footprint in the smallish venue. I'm sure there was also some crosstown rivalry there to upstage each other. Unfortunately the show has just gotten WAY too thin on exhibitors at this point and it's just not worth attending for public or the press and that tends to have a domino effect on the others. The remaining exhibitors are spending less on their exhibits and show vehicles are rare. The Lincoln exhibit this year was actually the most significant and obvious example of downsizing, I actually found it extremely sad and discouraging with very little to actually explore. Now is probably a good time for Ford to save some money and bow out of the traditional show circuit and just focus on standalone press events and social media, but I'm sure this will be a gradual transition. I think 2019 will be the final year for the Detroit Show.

Everest would certainly be redundant between Explorer and Bronco, especially since Bronco is going to be a MORE rugged and stylish version of the Everest with a ton more features fitting for its outdoor lifestyle customer. Everest is nice for its market but it has no personality and is a relatively crude SUV by Ford NA standards, especially with a solid rear axle. Ford has too many other better choices moving forward.

What took them so long?

Compared to conventional shock damping that relies on hydraulic fluid and control valving, a fairly recent development now being used by some auto makers involves magnetic ride control (the actual term is “magneto rheological” technology), which employs electromagnetic oils within the shock’s piston, comprised of a very sophisticated magnetic particle-infused polymer liquid. An electrical charge is delivered to the liquid (timed and controlled by an ECU that receives input data from a series of sensors), causing the magnetic particles within the fluid to change their shape, or density, which quickly changes the liquid’s viscosity (thinner when the system wants freer movement, thicker when damping needs to be more firm). Almost all car companies have some form of Electronically controlled suspension dampeners, most of them work on the same principles. Ford of Europe has had it much longer than Ford NA which just got it around 2013 for their Lincolns. It's becoming relatively inexpensive and robust and it certainly makes a substantial difference without changing the design of the suspension. Hopefully we'll see this become more and more accessible. My last two Lincon MKXs have them and it's the first Lincoln I've owned that actually delivers on the expectation of a smooth luxury car ride. But remarkably you can also switch to that classically twitchy Ford suspension dampening that makes the car feel lighter and connected, it really is one of the more amazing automotive innovations I've experienced (along with ACC). Right now, only the Ford Fusion Sport and Expedition have the technology under the Ford brand.

FWIW, the 3.3 V6 is also an F-150 only engine, but the architecture is a 3.5/3.7 derivative so it must have come at a fraction of the development cost. Ford will probably have to do something to improve the baseline fuel economy of the F-Series by 2020. Whatever route they take I'm sure it'll be a smart one and not a response to anybody else. I always get the impression that Ford isn't willing to compromise for fuel economy so they take the route that adds benefits rather than takes them away. EcoBoost added far more than it took away.

It is interesting how differently each carmaker is evolving their trucks, they all have some very different approaches.

From the Autoblog Article.

It certainly sounds like a compelling alternative to the 3.3L V6 + 6 Speed in the F-Series.

Some great info in there. I hadn't realized how poorly the Galaxy and Edge sold there, S-Max is actually fairly strong compared to them but I know Edge is extremely expensive in Europe. The US bought nearly as many Focuses as all of Europe. Fiesta is huge there! EcoSport picking up more steam in the EU which is good. Surprising number of Rangers sold in Europe...certainly pocket change by comparison here but it's interesting. Mustang sales fell off a cliff.

Sync 3 is great mostly because it lets you use CarPlay or Android Auto which are AWESOME! The native Sync 3 feature set and voice control are still unremarkable/terrible but at least it works fairly smoothly and reliably and isn't terrible to navigate. I still prefer to use CarPlay whenever possible but the big problem is that it obscures the native Sync 3 interface unless you switch between CarPlay and Sync 3. This is where the tall screen in Volvo and RAM comes in handy because it allows better unification. Unfortunately Ford took a somewhat outdated route by designing their dashboards with the floating widescreen which won't make that possible. I also have to give credit to FCA for including USB-C connectors in their new vehicles alongside USB-A. Ford tends to be on the trailing edge of tech among the Detroit 3 since Mullally left but when they get around to it they usually push it over everything fairly quickly.

It never really got rave reviews, there is some style over function issues with the Fusion but it's a great balance I think.

Ford may want to do a new 3-Row Edge successor since it fills a popular midsize gap in their global portfolio, it may come here as well. Flex was an alt. Explorer, I don't think you can make that work anymore with new Explorer coming online.

Just copy the RAM screen, it's the future. You can then put it in the next F-150 et.al.

The Flex also had a bad start because it arrived during the Great Recession (it's that freaking old). I think Ford generally had a hard time nailing the 3-row crossover segment early on, treating it mostly like a minivan successor and less like an SUV. The Flex was born from the Freestyle/Taurus X bones and still had that low slung wagon-like packaging which is ultimately much less popular than the similarly priced tall 3-Row crossover (Explorer/Traverse/Pilot/Highlander/et.al). It's also a product that was born to be something of a hard to categorize icon, it started life as a Concept design study with no foundation in their product cycle...which is something that never happens at Ford today...the concepts are born from the production car now. So essentially, Flex was always something of a pet project (Mark Fields) and wasn't born as a response to market forces or trends. As a result, Ford has always had a hard time finding a place for it. We definitely will not see a successor which is a shame, but understandable.

A theoretical Fusion Active won't be a lifted sedan. The point is that the sedan silhouette is not popular.

I have a 2018 F-150 XLT and it definitely has a no-frills industrial dashboard design appropriate for a truck, but I would have a really hard time accepting that in an Expedition that costs twice as much. And indeed the EPAS in the F-150 is something you have to get use to, but it definitely doesn't encourage spirited driving.

Shame they are using the old headlights, it looks confusingly outdated...like a modded used Mustang.

Are they still building the previous gen Focus alongside the new Focus in Germany? It looks that way in the video.

Despite it's age the Flex is a really handsome vehicle, great proportions and smooth low-to-the-ground sheetmetal makes it look very custom and sporting. Definitely will miss I when it's gone.

The S-Max and Galaxy may actually be discontinued since the MPV market has largely collapsed in Europe for the same reason vans collapsed in the US...Utilities. They need to get Explorer to Europe...or a more attractive Edge 3-Row...all things coming soon I imagine. I actually don't understand the appeal of wagons, they've always had the worst vehicle proportions with both long rear rear overhangs that looks out scale on a low slung sedan. I aways see the sedan first and then the huge mass they tacked on the back to make it a wagon, to me that's a hideous transformation.

Ford of Europe likes to debut cars close to production, Ford of NA likes to show them off at least 12 to 24 months in advance of availability which is a habit I wish they would break. Ford is by far the worst offender in North America.

I suspect the EcoSport is low priority for Ford because it's a hard vehicle to make competitive for the US while still serving the strict needs of its larger global customer. We are still years away from an EcoSport successor, by which time I hope we have Maverick which is likely better suited to take on those customers anyway and drop EcoSport. I am disappointed Ford brought the aging EcoSport to the US since it indicates an unusual lack of foresight in their product planning. Ranger is another product that has arrived very late in its lifecycle with minimal updates to patch it up for the US market. On the surface it looks a little like old scatter-brained Ford at work desperately clawing at their last minute options.