Motorpsychology
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Posts posted by Motorpsychology
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1 hour ago, pictor said:
Agreed, I hate the swoop behind the back door. I hate it in every car that uses the swoop or kink behind the rear door. Why?
I think what happened was, as the designer was drawing the rear quarter area, someone came along and bumped his/her elbow "...oops sorry..." and it never got changed on the clay model.
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7 minutes ago, ZanatWork said:
Given the size/cost/complexity of most modern full-size pickups, I wouldn't be surprised for the Maverick and Ranger market niches to gain more momentum going forward. It's easy to forget, in these days of 2oo-300 "base" hp in so many levels of trucks, that many years went by with half-ton, small block V8 equipped pickups averaging around 160-170 hp.
Granted, modern vehicles are much heavier due to safety regs and what-not, but I wonder if full size pickups might soon go beyond the price/capabilities that average buyers require or even desire...?Great signature!
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As the piece points out, the pickup market is becoming increasingly 2-tier. there will always be a market for lower price trucks, but there is a certain stigma with things "budget." Nissan Titan quit the segment even though they undercut the others by quite a bit on MSRP and ATP.
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32 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:
Just saw a GMC truck ad and I think it's only available with EV's, but it features 4-wheel STEERING! I thought GM gave up on that a while back. The rear wheels turn in the opposite direction of the front at low speed, while at high speed they turn in the same direction. I don't know where the break-off point is. Is it a way to get customers to go electric? Personally I think you'd see hundreds perhaps thousands of accidents because I don't think motorists could adapt to the change in handling! One example is lane changing at high speed. The 4 wheel steering will send you into the lane you're aiming for sooner, possibly causing the motorist already in that lane to brake. This is why whenever possible, I take a half mile or longer to make the lane change because it sends me farther ahead of that other vehicle. Unless you're scurrying to take an exit, there's no need to get into the new lane within 100 feet! Try it sometime.
As I understand it the crab walk feature is restricted to low speed maneuvering. I can't see any reason for the crab walk other than showboating on the lake as you perform flank maneuvers driving to your ice fishing house.
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29 minutes ago, 7Mary3 said:
Are all the CEO's bad, or is there another common denominator?
I'm coming to the realization that it must be a disconnect between the C-suite and what's going on 11 floors below. Why build Blue Oval City and then schedule EV production elsewhere (Louisville Dearborn, Oakville)? And lately JF realizes that some of the most brand loyal buyers of any make have been waiting almost three years for their F250-350? Bless their floating axle hearts for saving OAP. Augmenting Super Duty production there might be the one of the brightest decisions JF has made. That customer demographic I would bet votes and contributes to conservative interests and could be vocal if their Platinum SuperCrew dually goes up 25 grand.
GM doing away with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their EVs I think will turn out to be the 21st century's AMStereo; technically possible, but who cares? I think GM's,and Ford's practice of embedding the hardware and charging a subscription to use it will not yield the profits they're counting on.
Stellantis gets parted out in 2029 or sooner. You read it here first.
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24 minutes ago, rmc523 said:
Next-Gen Ford F-150 Production Slated For Spring 2028: Report
According to the Detroit Free Press, production of the next-generation Ford F-150 pickup has indeed been delayed by one year, but rather than mid-2028, this report notes that it will instead begin in April of 2028.
So 2028 models will come out in April '28? Or will it be '29MY
That late it will likely a 2029. The marketing mavens will have a longer selling MY in 2027 to boot; that would be the 50th model year for F-series dominance should that hold up, not so coincidentally.
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31 minutes ago, Biker16 said:
I have a bad feeling about the next few years.
FIFY
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Delaying the F-150 until mid 2028 probably puts it as an early 2029 MY. Meanwhile, GM Authority claims the next Silverado/Sierra is still scheduled to be released late 2026 as a 2027 MY. GM-A says it is a rework of the existing architecture and not an all new design; What will the 15G F-150 be?
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2 hours ago, akirby said:
This is strictly a guess here but it’s possible the new ones were changed and aren’t compatible. Otherwise it doesn’t make any sense.
It still sucks and is totally unacceptable. At least do a temp repair so it’s driveable. Or buy it back.
About all they could do for a quick fix is canabalize doors from existing stock, then put the new doors on the cannablized cars as they come in. Lot of new paintwork, though.
I don't understand why the bracket attach point couldn't be re-welded in the field. the hinges and latch mechanisms appear to be unaffected.
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7 minutes ago, Rick73 said:
Toyota Tacoma sales were down for the year which shows their buyers are not completely and blindly loyal either. There have been some reported issues with transmissions, not everyone likes the new turbo-4, and mostly affordability has been questioned when prices often reach $50k for a fairly-normal mid-size truck. In case of Tacoma, I think Toyota built a reputation for an affordable, simple and durable truck, and have now lost that edge. Maverick apparently capitalized on Tacoma moving up in size, luxury, and price. At least for now Corolla still offers that affordable basic-transportation option, but we’ll have to see what happens with redesign.
The standard snow plow doesn't help the looks, either.
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13 hours ago, sullynd said:
It always amazes me that Subaru is ranked highly for reliability. Everyone I know that owns them has had mechanical issues (but keep buying them!?)For me, I think the touchy-feely aspect of Subaru plays an important part in their owners' identification with, and loyalty to, the brand. They have done a good job with public awareness of their philanthropic efforts without being boastful and of course, the dogs. Who doesn't like dogs? I like dogs even though I don't own one. Their message is that, like your dog our cars are loyal and fun to be with, but not perfect and worthy of your forgiveness. So if a Subie does the equivalent of peeing on the carpet, in most cases owners just roll with it.
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2 hours ago, twintornados said:
I bought my Explorer from the giant Ford store with the large multi-outlet out of state owners and regretted it. The salesman was honest, straight forward and no pressure at all but their service department absolutely blows...show them the issue only to be told "our service tech could not recreate the issue" ...go back down to service department to show them again..."oh, that's the issue?" or, drop the vehicle off the night before and when I call them at 12:30PM for an update, they tell me, "Oh, the tech just brought it in." ?!?!?...why TF did I drop it off the night before so that your tech gets around to it at 12:30???
Needless to say, I am trading the Explorer in for a hybrid AWD Maverick Lariat at the locally owned Ford store in the area and am not looking back.
I hope that works out for you, TT. Independent dealers of any brand are becoming rare and can be hit'n'miss. I quit dealing with the closest dealer, a small independent, over a botched brake job on my '00 Focus Wagon that they couldn't resolve. My current go-to was independent until two years ago, then first Carousel Auto Group bought them, then last year Lithia Motors bought Carousel's nine rooftops.😳 So far, so good. The customer facing part of the operation hasn't changed; same service writers and supervisor, mostly same sales and F&I.
I have purchased or leased four new Fords from them, and just bought (ordered) an Explorer and have done virtually all repairs and maintenance there over the last eleven years. Service on my 2009 Mariner and 2021 Ranger has been excellent, and they have bee good to deal with in sales. This was a critical factor in going ahead with ordering the Explorer, the Mazda CX-90 was a very close second choice; inline six and a sunroof within a few hundred of the Explorer, but the relationship I've had with Hudson Ford, Hudson WI. sealed the deal.
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With sensational awards in general, all we ever read about are the outrageous initial settlement, never about the appeals and motions to block. But as we here sit at arm's length from the trial, it is hard, impossible perhaps, to imagine what could have persuaded a majority of the jurors to think that this was a fair and just amount to award.
Cap all personal injury lawsuits at $1 million plus any ongoing medical expenses, and one appeal within the first year, after that, council may file appeals on behalf of the plaintiff pro bono. So if council really cares...
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17 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:
I love a good "Man Bites Dog" story. I wonder if a carbon element cable would be possible, similar to a spark plug wire? or Or charging system where you would back up and and dock directly to the charger
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31 minutes ago, Rick73 said:
And from how many sources can you buy that assembly?It’s either engineering grossly run amok where it actually takes a ton of money to make one of these assemblies, or else they are being marked up excessively because they can. Either way it highlights a serious problem with pursuing technology with little regard to long-term overall costs of ownership.
inflation is also a factor. My mother was mildly rear ended back in 1960 while driving our 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne. I remember my dad's alarm at the $112 cost of the twin-lamp taillight assembly. In today's dollars that would be $1,186.93 for a white metal housing with a chrome bezel. Add in today's radar and the fact that most all lighting is LED and exclusive to a given model and we get $2k light assemblies.
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19 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:
I have a feeling its not going to be called a Maverick
And Ford talked about it back in August 2024
MavE-rick? Mustang Ranchero-e?
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I think that we would need to see the monthly estimates from the other mfr's to see if there was a widespread decline. There was some tough weather across the country in January, which likely depressed sales. Compounding that, I think that in the Explorer's case, it's a combination product mix and option structure that may be contributing to a steep decline. I only have empirical data on one sale, mine, but our dealer had no ST-Lines with the standard 35-30-35 2nd row, and none could be located within a reasonable distance. We ordered a Rapid red ST-Line with the std. 2nd row seat. We have a build date of 3/3, so March or April sales will be +1, lol. Other nitpicks is that Rapid Red is not available on the Active, and other brands have wireless charging and integrated cornering lamps standard or optional on lower or mid-level trims.
Dealer integrity is important to us, so that was a major reason that we bought our fifth new Ford from this dealer, and nosing ahead of a Mazda CX9.
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7 hours ago, jpd80 said:
I tend to agree, a hybrid Super Duty sounds like a good idea but
does it really make sense to a fleet owners…that the big unknown here.
Maybe if the ICE was used only as a range extender, a smaller ICE and reserve battery could be used. It might make sense in class 4-6 or 7 city trucks. A fleet owner could benefit by not necessarily having to install chargers as well as realizing fuel savings. The ICE would run with a near constant load and a narrow rpm range which potentially would dercease service intervals.
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12 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:
So I'll share this story-
My Wife bought her 2017 Escape and her 2024 Bronco Sport off the lot, at price she had budgeted for them. She isn't super picky about her cars and said to me I know I'm killing you right now because I special order my vehicles to what I want in them and like bells and whistles in them.
So there are a decent amount of buyers out there that purely buy on price/affordability. The other issue is that majority of basic options are very well covered by base models...this isn't the old days of AM only radios and hand crank windows. You might not get a push button start or remote starter (but can use the app instead) on a base model, but the vast majority of must haves when it comes to safety/functionality are covered by lower end models.
I went through this myself when I spec'd out my Bronco-I was looking at a Outer Banks originally, but I wasn't a fan of the painted handles and mirrors and spending an extra $5K for stuff I really didn't need or use regularly.
We just went through this earlier this month when we ordered an Explorer to replace our 2009 Mariner (what, already?). Shout out to KCAP where it was built: rust free and no major repairs for 16 years.
Anyway, she liked the ride and the view out of it, and as long as whatever car had heated cloth seats and a bench second seat, the other options didn't matter, and she insisted on red. Well, the Active is not available in red, so we ordered an ST-Line. with the 35-30-35 second row. Even though that is the standard configuration, alll the Rapid Red ST-L's within 150 miles had the no-cost optional buckets. It has a build date of March 3rd, so everybody on the line at CAP get good sleep the night before, lol!
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1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:
Pre 1950, sedans where more like crossovers of today.
Pretty close. What is old becomes new again:
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42 minutes ago, bzcat said:
Didn't Ford said a year or two ago that they were done using Shelby licensed name? This is why they introduced Darkhorse... keep all the IP inhouse.
Ford has a closet full of names it can slap on performance Mustangs... No need to pay Shelby royalty IMO.
Dark Skyline Horse? 🤡
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11 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:
I know the Boss trademark was renewed or something like that, didn't hear about the Dark Horse name being added to it.
Awkward sounding.
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On 1/7/2025 at 11:52 PM, tbone said:
Interesting situation here. I’m curious to know the details behind the termination of this contract. Can it mean that we’ll see a reduction on the Destination Charge on the vehicles, which has gotten out of control?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-drops-auto-hauler-jack-175022540.html
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17 hours ago, Joe771476 said:
Wages have not kept up with rising property taxes, food costs, clothing, insurance...........you name it! Did I miss anything?
Don't forget daycare. In most young heterosexual families, married or not, both are wage earners by choice, necessitating daycare for one or more children. Even if one or both can work from home, it is non productive to have preschool age children at home all day. Licensed daycare runs $2-400 per week for one child and less for each additional child in my area. That's an Explorer payment. One place in a toney suburb where one of my daughter's family lives, is $2600/mo. no discounts, but the tykes can learn Spanish.
A Pivot to Munitions at Ford and the return of the GT500 in 2026
in Ford Motor Company Discussion Forum
Posted · Edited by Chrisgb
What I found interesting in the tipranks link is that Farley may have a "Trump" card in this munitions aspect. Farley may be able to soften the tariff blow to Ford through Feinberg if he is nominated S-DOD. Ford could negotiate a set aside of the tariffs on their Mexican and Canadian imports while building weapons systems and/or vehicles the US. If such a contract was awarded, the UAW could potentially organize the workers if they weren't already, Trumps poll numbers go up amongst "blue" collar voters, and Ford's imports enjoy reduced or eliminated tariffs.