DeluxeStang

Oh for sure man, all I'm saying is I would buy something like a soul over a Corolla because it starts at about $1,500 less, is more practical, and has a fantastic warranty. But Toyota also has a very strong, if overhyped,reputation for longevity and resale value. So there's a trade off there. As for the focus, words can't express how disappointed I was that ford pulled it out of the N. American market when they did. I appear to be in the minority here, but I think the current focus is by far the best looking hatchback ford has ever made, especially the pre-facelifted version. Plus I believe it's quite reliable, especially compared to the dumpster fire that was the previous gen. I still remember seeing leaked pics of the focus on Blue that were snagged during a photoshoot, was stunned at how good looking it was. I was so determined to buy it, then ford was like, nah. Time will tell if Ford reenters the sedan market. Explorerdude hinted that ford was considering green lighting an affordable sedan for N. America if fuel prices stayed high. This was sometime in 2021. We'll see what goes down. I say bring back the escort name.

I don't know man, I just don't see it. As CUVs and trucks have become more affordable, fuel efficient, and car like, I just don't see how sedans offer an advantage in terms of value anymore. A Honda civic is pretty comparable in price to a Maverick, but you get way more bang for your buck with the maverick. I'm not saying you're completely wrong, I do agree that a lot of sedan buyers care about pricing, especially shoppers looking at entry level compact sedans and hatches. But I think there has to be some allure to sedans beyond pricing and fuel economy. If that was all sedan buyers cared about, they'd all but Kia Souls instead.

I think what we're seeing is the buyers who prefer practicality and value above all else are migrating to crossovers and trucks in droves. That means most remaining sedan owners tend to place greater emphasis on the more emotional aspects of sedans, things like the driving dynamics or exterior design. I think there's potential for ford to return to the sedan market with a performance sedan, or something similar. They could position it at a higher price point, potentially increasing their profit margins on the product so shear sales volume becomes less of a concern. Plus it wouldn't have to go against giants in the sedan space like the Camry or accord. It could be something that sells by doing something different, rather than following the herd. It seems like that's ford's approach lately, zig where others zag, and it's working out quite well for them.

Just chiming in here with my own two cents, we've heard that Lincoln could be receiving a more upscale version of the mach-e with its own unique design. I highly doubt we'll see any sort of Lincoln product based on the bronco, it's far to rugged and unrefined to be a good basis for a Lincoln unless they reengineered a ton of stuff to make it into some sort of defender rival. The biggest issue with Lincoln currently is they don't really have a stellar flagship. The navigator is ok, but it doesn't wow you. From what I heard, back when ford was planning to develop a Lincoln ev on a Rivian platform, the design was close to being finalized. According to insiders, it looked fantastic, and was described as Kemal Curic's (Designer of the s550, and aviator amongst other things) best work yet. I hope ford finds a way to carry that design over to its own bespoke platform if it was as promising as some let on.

What do you mean ouch? The 2011-19 explorer is one of the best looking mainstream SUVs out there.

Not bad, giving me major explorer vibes.

Wtf is this comment? Starts off kinda normal but then it just flies off the rails and right into the main street of crazy town.

So is this you hinting that there will be more substantial interior changes without outright saying it?

Black bumpers maybe? Chrome belongs in the 50s imo. Just doesn't look good on modern cars. Black adds contrast, and agression to a design. Or maybe ford could offer a contrast package with a color other than black for people who want it.

Yeah the only similarity I can see is the "grille" is framed by the lines flowing into the fenders. On a side note, I did that star concept, but they should make the front end a little less stubby looking on the production model.

Not mentioned here, but one of the more fascinating bits of info was ford talking about how this new ev platform they're developing is super flexible. How it would enable them to use it in a ton a new segments and that nothing was really off the table. Hopefully that means ford will pivot to giving us a wide array of interesting evs. Rather than just doing 38 different crossover models.

😬 Looks like the new Nautilus will replace the aviator as the best looking Lincoln. I know the Chinese market matters to most brands. But with this and the new Chinese explorer timberline, I'm not feeling some of ford's new designs. Tired of the massive grills, the new super duty also looks super goofy. I assume some of these designs were the last things Morray signed off on before leaving the design studios for good. Not sure what happened here.

That's not terrible considering all the factors working against the auto industry at the moment. More interesting is the fact that starting around 2015/16 Lincoln started to reverse the sales decline they had experienced between '05-14. So the brands efforts to turn itself around have worked quite well with decent sales figures than only started to trail off around 2020 for obvious reasons.

Hasn't Lincoln experienced quite the turn around in terms of sales and brand perception? They're not challenging mainstream brands for sales figures, but I thought they were doing decently well compared to 5-10 years ago. Maybe I'm wrong son.

Foolish to out it mildly. I know it requires additional upfront costs. But there will come a day, in only a few short decades where most new cars are evs. Lincoln especially is a perfect brand for electrification. They're brand is sold on being quiet, refined, effortless. Evs are perfect for them.