ice-capades

Here's some of the new Mach-E marketing photos that Ford released to Dealers.

Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat = D4. It's in the 2020 F-150 Order Guide which you can download from the Dealer Order Guides section.

FYI... There are no Ford or Lincoln Order Guide updates available today.

Okay... sources till me that the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank) will open in mid-July with a Job #1 Date expected in mid-October!

Late August/September is too early per my response above. No production timetable, schedule or Job #1 Date released and no Dealer allocation until at least August. I'd expect a possible Job #1 Date in October.

The USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank) usually opens approximately two months prior to the Job #1 Date. Ford has not released any production information or timetable for the Bronco Sport. Ford Dealers will be doing the July "Wholesale" for September/October production allocation and this new wholesale will not include the Bronco Sport. As such, I don't expect any Bronco Sport information for at least another month or two.

If you like, post the VIN number and I'll get you the Window Sticker.

The VIN number does not include information on the vehicle's wheelbase. I've never seen or heard of the bed size or wheelbase information being including on a registration as the vehicle information for registrations and titles is decoded from the VIN number.

No. The wheelbase is different for the different bed lengths.

It's certainly possible but if all the other Mach-E models are 2021's I doubt that they'd want the GT's out as 2022's.

Ford never reveals it all until they're ready to do so. And if there's anything that they excel at is making sure that they produce the best pickup available to ensure their market leadership position.

You're asking a question that can only be answered by Ford. We'll all know better when Ford either releases an updated 2021 Mach-E Order Guide that includes the Mach-E GT or provides more specific information regarding the GT model.

Who knows? It's anyone's guess! Ford usually posts updated order guides at the beginning of the month, for those vehicles with updates but considering that the Mach-E order guide has only been out for a short time it may be a while before we see the GT content, etc.

The shipping/car carrier firms inspect vehicles when they arrive and will note damages on the BOL (Bill of Lading) prior to delivering the vehicle to the dealership. The car carrier firms do not perform any repairs to vehicles. Repairs such as this are performed by the dealerships and submitted as a warranty claim.

Ford and Lincoln have been requiring photo evidence for any warranty repairs such as this.

Expect the GT information and specifications to be included in an updated order guide at some point.

This is basically a continuation of California's dominance regarding emissions standards which over the years were adopted by a number of other states (CA, CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA) along with additional states (AZ, DC, ID, NH, NV, OH, VA, WV) being "Cross Border States" allowing vehicles to meet either the California or 50-state emissions standard. Expect there to be negotiations and litigation along the way until there's an agreement or ruling at some point down the road. In any event, it's doubtful that any manufacturer is going to abandon the California market rather than comply with this new proposal that will be enacted in some form. The CA market is just too big which will have an even bigger role should additional states adopt the same standard in the future. Future adventures to follow.

There's a difference between perception and reality but there's a parallel with another company... Apple. For years Apple was a computer company but that stopped years ago when they transitioned into a consumer electronics firm. They do creative packaging to develop the "cool" factor that so many people jumped at after the iPhone was introduced. With few exceptions, each year a good share of iPhone owners jumped at the opportunity to pay the price for the latest version. The iPhone really hasn't changed much over the years... they've just continued to tweak it with each new generation. And their owner body is incredibly loyal. How often do you hear an iPhone owner complain? Not often, I'll guess. Tesla jumped into the market producing only BEV vehicles and being the only manufacturer producing BEV's in volume. With a vehicle that looked different from anything else available, a new sales model, etc. they had the "cool" factor from the beginning whether you like the product or not. And Tesla owners will defend the product in much the same way that Apple owners do. As noted above, a number of other manufacturers have recently entered the BEV market, or will soon, with new models but none of those currently available have gotten much attention. In the meantime, Tesla now produces multiple models in volume in their plants in the USA, China and next year in Germany. And they have another advantage over all the other manufacturers... battery supply! I think Ford will do well with the Mustang Mach-E but they're going to be seriously constrained with capacity until they can develop/negotiate the battery supply in order to compete successfully on a volume basis. Until the vehicle is actually available and can be seen and driven it's appeal will continue to be limited to those that are either serious prospects or BEV enthusiasts. With only 50,000 Mach-E's to be available the first year, with half going to Europe, it'll take time (years?) and a lot more production capacity to make much of an impact. It's very possible that once the vehicle is out on the market that they'll find the demand will be there for a lot more than they can produce, at least for the first year. Let's hope that the Mach-E launch is a success, that there's a lot of demand once it's out on the road... and that Ford's has the extra production capacity lined up to satisfy the demand! Unfortunately, their own Dealers could hurt the situation with ADM's so let's hope that Ford develops a better sales model that be more appropriate. Just my quick thoughts to try to add to the conversation by looking at the BEV market from a different perspective, etc.

It's a great spot... promotes the brand, the product in a soft sell message, evokes memories for a big part of the demographic buying the F-Series and is just fun to watch and listen to... and making the viewer/listener feel good about Ford!

Have never seen this spot air... not once and I wouldn't really include it in the "Built Ford Proud" campaign.

I think the "Built Wild" tag for use with a Bronco campaign is fine. My favorite Ford campaign of all time was the "Have you driven a Ford lately?" campaign that was used in various versions for probably more years than any marketing campaign in the Company's history. There were times in the past 10 years that I thought it would have been have been perfectly appropriate to bring it back and a few of the Ford FDAF (Ford Dealer Advertising Fund) associations did use it on a regional basis. I believe that Chicago was one of the markets that used it. Every so many years, not often, Ford comes out with a corporate branding campaign that is excellent. Unfortunately, they run it frequently for a short period of time and then abandon it. The "Built Ford Proud" campaign is just such an example especially the spot with Bryan Cranston and the F-Series "East Bound and Down" spot. It's fine to run such a campaign in high frequency initially to make the desired impact but the expense and time to achieve the desired effect would be better served by then keeping the spot in rotation on a periodic basis to make the best use of the branding spot in rotation with the usual sales themed spots. With all the pandemic related PSA spots, etc. that we've been seeing these past few months... wouldn't it be nice to see a "feel good" spot like the Built Ford Proud "East Bound and Down" F-Series spot again? Just my thoughts and comments. So much for the marketing brilliance and execution of the appointed and anointed guy Farley!