New Light & Medium Duty News

[jpd80]

10 hours ago, 7Mary3 said:

Strange, it wasn't on the commercial vehicle page linked from the Ford.com home page.

When you go to Ford website, click on All Vehicles, it’s there in the drop down vehicles.

[Bob Rosadini]

7 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Thanks rmc, your estimates are sufficient for our purposes.

From the above it looks like F600 took more of a hit than F650 but still, we can see that Ford is hamstrung by chip shortage…..

This has probably been asked before but what defines "Monthly sales'?  When dealer submits an order?  Has nothing to do I assume with actual plant production?

[Bob Rosadini]

From this AM's Ford Authority... Good news as it is another market.  But I'm wondering...could the next step be that 650-750 production goes back to where it was when the first gen 650/750 came out in 2000..Cautillan (sp?) I believe.   Remember all hype about OAP being the site for all electric production?

 

Keep scrolling down as it looks like the pictures did not copy

 

Ford Trademark Filings Hint At F-650, F-750 Launch In Mexico

By Brett Foote

March 30, 2022 9:12 am

 

SPONSORED

Ford Motor Company has filed to trademark F-650 and F-750 in Mexico, Ford Authority has learned.

Filed on March 7^th, 2022, and assigned serial numbers 119852707952 and 119852707953, the applications contain the goods and services description of “Motor vehicles, namely automobiles and trucks.”

Ford F-650, F-750 Trademarks

Mark	F-650	F-750
Serial number	119852707952	119852707953
Filing date	March 7, 2022	March 7, 2022
Goods & services	Motor vehicles, namely automobiles and trucks	Motor vehicles, namely automobiles and trucks

The Ford Authority Take

These new Ford trademark filings make it likely that the F-650 and F-750 will eventually be sold in Mexico, where neither is currently offered. These medium-duty commercial trucks are already quite popular in the U.S. and are offered in a variety of configurations, including Pro Loader, Straight Frame, and Diesel Tractor, with both Ford’s gas 7.3L Godzilla V8 and 6.7L Power Stroke diesel available as powertrain options, depending on the configuration.

These medium-duty trucks offer gross vehicle weight ratings of up to 37,000 pounds for gas models and 50,000 pounds for diesels. Currently in its eighth generation – which launched in 2016 – the F-650/F-750 are produced at the Ford Ohio Assembly Plant and are available in a variety of cab configurations that make each a versatile option for fleet customers.

In addition to launching a number of new models in Mexico in recent months, Ford has also filed a few other trademarks in that country that could signal the arrival of other future vehicles. A Ford trademark was filed for “Everglades” back in 2020, a name that has since appeared in the U.S. on the new 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades and may wind up being used on other off-road variants in the future. Additionally, a filing for “Adrenaline” last month, which could be used in conjunction with some sort of off-road-focused vehicle as well.

We’ll have more on this and all of Ford’s trademark filings soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, and continuous Ford news coverage.

SPONSORED

[jpd80]

22 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

This has probably been asked before but what defines "Monthly sales'?  When dealer submits an order?  Has nothing to do I assume with actual plant production?

Correct.

It when  the transaction is completed and the vehicle delivered, it can also include dealerships buying vehicles as demonstrators or courtesy vehicles, even things like Ford internal fleet purchases.

Edited March 31, 2022 by jpd80

[ice-capades]

Ford Trademark Filings Hint at F-650, F-750 Launch in Mexico

https://fordauthority.com/2022/03/ford-trademark-filings-hint-at-f-650-f-750-launch-in-mexico/

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by ice-capades
Additional Content

[7Mary3]

Interesting move.  While a lot of commercial trucks are produced in Mexico, their domestic market is actually pretty small and is dominated by Freightliner and Navistar who operate large plants there.  I wonder how price-competitive Ford would be in Mexico with the 650 and 750 if they do not plan on building the trucks there.  I had wondered if that was the reason Ford pulled out of that market when they relocated 650 and 750 production to Ohio.  In any event a few hundred more 650 and 750 sales couldn't hurt, but if I had to guess I would say this is the first step in moving production back to Mexico.

[twintornados]

42 minutes ago, 7Mary3 said:

.....In any event a few hundred more 650 and 750 sales couldn't hurt, but if I had to guess I would say this is the first step in moving additional production back to Mexico.

 

I always am a "glass is half full" kinda guy....so, I fixed it.

[7Mary3]

3 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

I always am a "glass is half full" kinda guy....so, I fixed it.

 

I would guess it's probably only going to be the 650 and 750 going to Mexico if that's indeed the plan.

[Bob Rosadini]

4 hours ago, 7Mary3 said:

Interesting move.  While a lot of commercial trucks are produced in Mexico, their domestic market is actually pretty small and is dominated by Freightliner and Navistar who operate large plants there.  I wonder how price-competitive Ford would be in Mexico with the 650 and 750 if they do not plan on building the trucks there.  I had wondered if that was the reason Ford pulled out of that market when they relocated 650 and 750 production to Ohio.  In any event a few hundred more 650 and 750 sales couldn't hurt, but if I had to guess I would say this is the first step in moving production back to Mexico.

To add to what  I said,  -650/750 were first produced as a new truck in Mexico for model year 2000 after KTP was reconfigured to SD pick ups.  Remember Ford built a big number of "F-800"'s that were Cummins powered for dealer stock and that was it as far as KTP was.  The move to OAP from Mexico  was largely a bone tossed to the UAW during negotiations.  And I'm sure the "divorce" with Navistar over the Power Stroke fiasco was also a factor.

OAP was I thought publicized as the facility that was going to be the principal EV plant.

  

Sooo!  ....this long term seems like Ford will be joining F'liner and International in building trucks south of the border

[7Mary3]

2 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said:

To add to what  I said,  -650/750 were first produced as a new truck in Mexico for model year 2000 after KTP was reconfigured to SD pick ups.  Remember Ford built a big number of "F-800"'s that were Cummins powered for dealer stock and that was it as far as KTP was.  The move to OAP from Mexico  was largely a bone tossed to the UAW during negotiations.  And I'm sure the "divorce" with Navistar over the Power Stroke fiasco was also a factor.

OAP was I thought publicized as the facility that was going to be the principal EV plant.

  

Sooo!  ....this long term seems like Ford will be joining F'liner and International in building trucks south of the border

 

Actually, those late Cummins powered 1980-style F-800's were built in Mexico, KTP had largely shut down for retooling in 1997.  Things were very much up in the air at that time as the F series mediums were supposed to have been replaced by medium duty versions of the HN80.  When the HN80 program was sold to Freightliner (and KTP was cleared out) some F series mediums were imported from Mexico to fill the gap.  They were all single axle Cummins B5.9 powered with very limited options.  This went on for about 2 years before a 'new' F-650 Super Duty debuted in 2000, also a Mexican import.  That truck wasn't much more than the old F series medium with a Super Duty cab stuck on it and a few more options.  That 650 ran 2 years until it was replaced by the 'Blue Diamond' 650 and 750.

 

Yes, the UAW was indeed 'thrown a bone' when Ford took the medium duty trucks back in house and put them at OAP.  Nothing wrong with that, Ford wanted to stay in the medium duty market and the trucks had to be built somewhere, so OAP was it.  Now if Ford is planning on converting OAP to BEV's, then it makes sense to move the 650/750 to Mexico.  The UAW ought to be happy as BEV's have a much brighted future than a low volume ICE medium duty truck.  I know if I worked at OAP I would feel more secure about my job if all this turn out to be the case.

 

One other thing I have been thinking about:  If OAP is going to BEV's and the 650/750 is going to Mexico, what about the other comercial vehicles produced at OAP?  I would speculate that a possible secenerio could be something like the smaller Super Duty cab/chassis models move to KTP along with the F53 chassis.  The remains of the E series could probably be dumped now and replaced buy Transit cutaways.  Now before anyone comments about KTP's capacity, consider this:  Gasoline and diesel fuel in my area are over $6.00/gal., and I have seen diesel at $6.99.  And no one thinks the prices will come down that much.  A lot of these yahoo's that buy fully loaded Super Duty Platnum and King Ranch trucks just to tool around town in are going to dissappear and I expect non-commercial Super Duty sales to eventually take a hit.    

[silvrsvt]

On 3/31/2022 at 12:38 AM, rmc523 said:

One has to wonder if they'll ever update/replace E-series lol.

 

Its been in production for almost 50 years now...LOL

[twintornados]

2 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

 

Its been in production for almost 50 years now...LOL

[Bob Rosadini]

13 hours ago, 7Mary3 said:

 

Actually, those late Cummins powered 1980-style F-800's were built in Mexico, KTP had largely shut down for retooling in 1997.  Things were very much up in the air at that time as the F series mediums were supposed to have been replaced by medium duty versions of the HN80.  When the HN80 program was sold to Freightliner (and KTP was cleared out) some F series mediums were imported from Mexico to fill the gap.  They were all single axle Cummins B5.9 powered with very limited options.  This went on for about 2 years before a 'new' F-650 Super Duty debuted in 2000, also a Mexican import.  That truck wasn't much more than the old F series medium with a Super Duty cab stuck on it and a few more options.  That 650 ran 2 years until it was replaced by the 'Blue Diamond' 650 and 750.

 

Yes, the UAW was indeed 'thrown a bone' when Ford took the medium duty trucks back in house and put them at OAP.  Nothing wrong with that, Ford wanted to stay in the medium duty market and the trucks had to be built somewhere, so OAP was it.  Now if Ford is planning on converting OAP to BEV's, then it makes sense to move the 650/750 to Mexico.  The UAW ought to be happy as BEV's have a much brighted future than a low volume ICE medium duty truck.  I know if I worked at OAP I would feel more secure about my job if all this turn out to be the case.

 

One other thing I have been thinking about:  If OAP is going to BEV's and the 650/750 is going to Mexico, what about the other comercial vehicles produced at OAP?  I would speculate that a possible secenerio could be something like the smaller Super Duty cab/chassis models move to KTP along with the F53 chassis.  The remains of the E series could probably be dumped now and replaced buy Transit cutaways.  Now before anyone comments about KTP's capacity, consider this:  Gasoline and diesel fuel in my area are over $6.00/gal., and I have seen diesel at $6.99.  And no one thinks the prices will come down that much.  A lot of these yahoo's that buy fully loaded Super Duty Platnum and King Ranch trucks just to tool around town in are going to dissappear and I expect non-commercial Super Duty sales to eventually take a hit.    

 

 

thx-for clarification of source for those F-800's.  I had been told by a dealer that they produced a large number of plain jane limited spec f-800's before KTP shut down to provide a large stock for dealers before the 650/750 arrived. And those Cuautitlan 650/750's I think were built there as 2000's until the Bluediamonds arrived in 2004.

In any case I did a search and find the only thing being built in Cuautitlan now is the E-Mustang.  So for sure makes all kinds of sense to bring 650/750 back to that plant.

[jpd80]

This is just a theory I have but mostly based on Ford doing the minimum to disrupt existing production..

 

I think the BEV ship has sailed for OHAP and  that Ford will probably just keep that plant chugging along and not disturb anything. 
 

Also, Ford is deliberately not saying anything about where GE2 based Explorer/Aviator are going exactly because they want the UAW to fight for it against maybe the Canadians….

And if cost is proving to be an issue with compact BEVS, then perhaps the VW based MEB Fords might end up being built in Mexico or alternatively, the current GE based Mustang Mach E may eventually become the new BEV Escape/Corsair when the next Gen MME moves to GE2 and perhaps USA or Canada.

 

The key to the above is that since announcing the splitting of Ford Blue And Model E, Farley has been hinting at some big staff reductions, reorganisation coming and no doubt the 2023 UAW contract is looming large as the stinky cat starts to leak out of the bag…..new BEV production is going to far more efficient, meaning a lot less jobs.

Edited April 1, 2022 by jpd80

[Bob Rosadini]

2 hours ago, jpd80 said:

This is just a theory I have but mostly based on Ford doing the minimum to disrupt existing production..

 

I think the BEV ship has sailed for OHAP and  that Ford will probably just keep that plant chugging along and not disturb anything. 
 

Also, Ford is deliberately not saying anything about where GE2 based Explorer/Aviator are going exactly because they want the UAW to fight for it against maybe the Canadians….

And if cost is proving to be an issue with compact BEVS, then perhaps the VW based MEB Fords might end up being built in Mexico or alternatively, the current GE based Mustang Mach E may eventually become the new BEV Escape/Corsair when the next Gen MME moves to GE2 and perhaps USA or Canada.

 

The key to the above is that since announcing the splitting of Ford Blue And Model E, Farley has been hinting at some big staff reductions, reorganisation coming and no doubt the 2023 UAW contract is looming large as the stinky cat starts to leak out of the bag…..new BEV production is going to far more efficient, meaning a lot less jobs.

Well JP good points-in particular your comment on OAP and the BEV ship having sailed.

As for my highlighted point, I'm not an MBA or financial guy, and I may have commented on this before, but to me Farley's scheme to split the business into ICE and E units, that to me is the opposite of what consolidations do when businesses merge.  Duplication is eliminated.  And accordingly, staff's are reduced.  He has done the opposite IMO.  UNLESS he will have a separate "service" entity with units such as HR, IT, Legal, Gov't Affairs etc supporting both units. 

 

So if he can create two business units out of one,  and bring about headcount reductions, he truly is a smart man!  It also can mean there was a lot of fat in the old

organization and nom one had the balls or drive to do anything about it.

 

I looked at his move as a pr move to further his image as a  "take charge" guy.  And it has worked...the press loves him and my stock has jumped.

Proving I guess how little I know?

[iamweasel]

24 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Well JP good points-in particular your comment on OAP and the BEV ship having sailed.

As for my highlighted point, I'm not an MBA or financial guy, and I may have commented on this before, but to me Farley's scheme to split the business into ICE and E units, that to me is the opposite of what consolidations do when businesses merge.  Duplication is eliminated.  And accordingly, staff's are reduced.  He has done the opposite IMO.  UNLESS he will have a separate "service" entity with units such as HR, IT, Legal, Gov't Affairs etc supporting both units. 

 

So if he can create two business units out of one,  and bring about headcount reductions, he truly is a smart man!  It also can mean there was a lot of fat in the old

organization and nom one had the balls or drive to do anything about it.

 

I looked at his move as a pr move to further his image as a  "take charge" guy.  And it has worked...the press loves him and my stock has jumped.

Proving I guess how little I know?

 

Honestly, this whole concept of "splitting in two" is just to appease wall street since so many investors wanted a spin-off.  This is a compromise position making it seem like the BEV side will be on their own when in reality, behind the scenes, they aren't really doing anything that much different than before.  (The EV's already had some separation, just like the F-series crew is separate from the Bronco folks.) 

 

It's like people think Ford goes out of their own way to purposefully create redundancy in the company.  Trust me, that is far from the case.....where it makes sense they have people dedicated to specific things (engineering, where each vehicle line is relatively separate and/or paired with chassis-mates) and they also have generalists when needed (such as certain funcions in operations, finance, purchasing, etc.)

 

As far as the F-650/750 go I am hearing there is a big divide in the company on what to do.  Some want to disband the product altogether (not worth the headaches given the small volume and negative profit) and others want to use BEV to re-imagine the medium and possibly heavy truck side.  Problem is, those in that latter category are not the high level people **BUT** the ground level support is what kept the F-650/750 alive after Blue Diamond.  Many of the execs wanted to kill it back then, too, but ultimately let it continue for a number of reasons.

 

In a couple months I go on an annual golfing weekend with my buddies in Michigan and 3 of them are fairly high level Ford guys who've been there over 20 years.  (Friends from grad school and we all worked at Ford together until I left.)  I always get caught up on the latest Ford gossip on that trip so I look forward to seeing what the latest hot topics are. 

 

  

[akirby]

37 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Well JP good points-in particular your comment on OAP and the BEV ship having sailed.

As for my highlighted point, I'm not an MBA or financial guy, and I may have commented on this before, but to me Farley's scheme to split the business into ICE and E units, that to me is the opposite of what consolidations do when businesses merge.  Duplication is eliminated.  And accordingly, staff's are reduced.  He has done the opposite IMO.  UNLESS he will have a separate "service" entity with units such as HR, IT, Legal, Gov't Affairs etc supporting both units. 

 

So if he can create two business units out of one,  and bring about headcount reductions, he truly is a smart man!  It also can mean there was a lot of fat in the old

organization and nom one had the balls or drive to do anything about it.

 

I looked at his move as a pr move to further his image as a  "take charge" guy.  And it has worked...the press loves him and my stock has jumped.

Proving I guess how little I know?

Of course there is still centralized HR, etc - the whole point of divisions rather than separate businesses is so you don’t duplicate all that stuff.  But you can separate the books financially and more importantly create and follow totally new processes.

[akirby]

20 minutes ago, iamweasel said:

 

Honestly, this whole concept of "splitting in two" is just to appease wall street since so many investors wanted a spin-off.  This is a compromise position making it seem like the BEV side will be on their own when in reality, behind the scenes, they aren't really doing anything that much different than before.  (The EV's already had some separation, just like the F-series crew is separate from the Bronco folks.) 

 

It's like people think Ford goes out of their own way to purposefully create redundancy in the company.  Trust me, that is far from the case.....where it makes sense they have people dedicated to specific things (engineering, where each vehicle line is relatively separate and/or paired with chassis-mates) and they also have generalists when needed (such as certain funcions in operations, finance, purchasing, etc.)

 

As far as the F-650/750 go I am hearing there is a big divide in the company on what to do.  Some want to disband the product altogether (not worth the headaches given the small volume and negative profit) and others want to use BEV to re-imagine the medium and possibly heavy truck side.  Problem is, those in that latter category are not the high level people **BUT** the ground level support is what kept the F-650/750 alive after Blue Diamond.  Many of the execs wanted to kill it back then, too, but ultimately let it continue for a number of reasons.

 

In a couple months I go on an annual golfing weekend with my buddies in Michigan and 3 of them are fairly high level Ford guys who've been there over 20 years.  (Friends from grad school and we all worked at Ford together until I left.)  I always get caught up on the latest Ford gossip on that trip so I look forward to seeing what the latest hot topics are. 

 

  

 

See what your buddies say but I’ve seen this type of corporate restructuring and since Farley is also bringing in outsiders for EV I bet you’ll see some radical process changes to increase BEV development and manufacturing efficiency.

[iamweasel]

16 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

See what your buddies say but I’ve seen this type of corporate restructuring and since Farley is also bringing in outsiders for EV I bet you’ll see some radical process changes to increase BEV development and manufacturing efficiency.

 

Well let's not forget the new BEV Product Development chief Doug Field, the "outsider" from Tesla/Apple, is probably the key in all of that and he started his career at Ford.  (6 years as an Engineer.) 

 

Tesla and Ford both had some really good habits and some bad ones.  Time will tell if he picked up the good ones or bad ones from each. 

 

Ford's product development system/playbook is top-notch.  The issue is staying on-script and that is determined by the PD leader.  I remember going from Phil Martens (moron) to Derrick Kuzak (wonderful) and how much of an impact that had when I was there.  

[Bob Rosadini]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Of course there is still centralized HR, etc - the whole point of divisions rather than separate businesses is so you don’t duplicate all that stuff.  But you can separate the books financially and more importantly create and follow totally new processes.

 

Oh-so you are saying..It is NOT two separate entities.  Foolish me I somehow thought Mr Farley was in fact creating two business units with clear and distinct separation given the attention given to the "big" announcement about ...."creating two business units."

 

Credit then to "Weasel" who calls it as it is....BS /smoke and mirrors whatever ...Farley gets press in the WSJ, the analysts swoon, and nothings changed.?

 

[Bob Rosadini]

1 hour ago, iamweasel said:

 

Honestly, this whole concept of "splitting in two" is just to appease wall street since so many investors wanted a spin-off.  This is a compromise position making it seem like the BEV side will be on their own when in reality, behind the scenes, they aren't really doing anything that much different than before.  (The EV's already had some separation, just like the F-series crew is separate from the Bronco folks.) 

 

It's like people think Ford goes out of their own way to purposefully create redundancy in the company.  Trust me, that is far from the case.....where it makes sense they have people dedicated to specific things (engineering, where each vehicle line is relatively separate and/or paired with chassis-mates) and they also have generalists when needed (such as certain funcions in operations, finance, purchasing, etc.)

 

As far as the F-650/750 go I am hearing there is a big divide in the company on what to do.  Some want to disband the product altogether (not worth the headaches given the small volume and negative profit) and others want to use BEV to re-imagine the medium and possibly heavy truck side.  Problem is, those in that latter category are not the high level people **BUT** the ground level support is what kept the F-650/750 alive after Blue Diamond.  Many of the execs wanted to kill it back then, too, but ultimately let it continue for a number of reasons.

 

In a couple months I go on an annual golfing weekend with my buddies in Michigan and 3 of them are fairly high level Ford guys who've been there over 20 years.  (Friends from grad school and we all worked at Ford together until I left.)  I always get caught up on the latest Ford gossip on that trip so I look forward to seeing what the latest hot topics are. 

 

  

As a true insider on this site, looking forward to your report.?

I've also somehow always felt Bill Ford had an appreciation for the heavy truck side of the business based on his early career experience .  Fiction? Or some truth?

[iamweasel]

43 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

As a true insider on this site, looking forward to your report.?

I've also somehow always felt Bill Ford had an appreciation for the heavy truck side of the business based on his early career experience .  Fiction? Or some truth?

 

I'm not real sure about that, honestly.  All I can say, from my time there and being in a few meetings with him, when it came to the proposal to shut down F650/750 when we knew Blue Diamond had to end he was mostly concerned about cutting jobs/departments, how it would be received in the press/public, etc.  It wasn't as much about the dollars and cents. 

 

Bill was a super-nice guy (and still is by all accounts)....but too nice to run that company, honestly.  He would not make some of the tough decisions that needed to be made, when they needed to be made.  (Such as getting rid of Hackett....that guy was a train wreck from Day 1 and everyone knew it.  But they were personal friends so that's why it took so long to get rid of him.)

[akirby]

58 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

 

Oh-so you are saying..It is NOT two separate entities.  Foolish me I somehow thought Mr Farley was in fact creating two business units with clear and distinct separation given the attention given to the "big" announcement about ...."creating two business units."

 

Credit then to "Weasel" who calls it as it is....BS /smoke and mirrors whatever ...Farley gets press in the WSJ, the analysts swoon, and nothings changed.?

 

Bob - I don’t think you’re listening.  HR and Finance, etc will be common - no need to duplicate anything.  Corporations do this today with separate business units.  Nothing new.

 

Having separate financial reporting AND GOALS doesn’t just appease Wall Street - it paints the true picture.  Ford Blue will focus on cost reduction and maximizing profit in a shrinking business with less new investment.  Margin is the goal and all those legacy ICE costs go to this business unit and doesn’t burden Ford EV.   

 

Conversely Ford EV will have huge investments in new plants and new technology and won’t be as concerned with margin right now - launching new vehicles with new processes is the goal.

 

If you don’t separate the business units then you bog down EV with all the ICE process baggage.  It’s easier to start clean sheet with new factories, new products and new processes if you have a separate business unit with different leadership and goals.

 

So this has the potential for huge change if done correctly.  Farley gets it so it comes down to execution.

[akirby]

2 hours ago, iamweasel said:

 

Well let's not forget the new BEV Product Development chief Doug Field, the "outsider" from Tesla/Apple, is probably the key in all of that and he started his career at Ford.  (6 years as an Engineer.)   

That could be a good thing - seeing both sides.

[jpd80]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

That could be a good thing - seeing both sides.

Exactly, he sees Ford as it is today and where they need to get to with being a mostly electric vehicle company, it’s like the ultimate gap analysis - what changes, what stays, what goes away. All of us are only seeing small pieces of the overall plan, just the bits Ford wants to talk about now. Internally, Ford and Farley have a clearer picture of what needs to be done, I see the division of the company as the defining point in history where Ford dedicated itself to becoming an electric manufacturer, not just add ons to existing ICE vehicles.

 

Lightning, E Transit and Mustang Mach E happening right now are objectives planned under Hackett

- Lightning built in F150 ICE plant

- E Transit built in an existing ICE plant

- Mustang Mach E  rescue of the compact BEV with C2 based tophat 

If continued, Hackett’s plan would have seen  more ICE plants upgraded to build EV versions, it was intended as a long slow roll out of BEVs while ICE versions would continue as the  main high production vehicles.
 

Strong reservation and ordering response to Lightning and MME  made Ford realise that Hackett’s plan was horribly inadequate and would never deliver BEVs at the new anticipated volumes. Farley’s acknowledgement of the need for dedicated EV plant with battery pack facility and JV with battery production is a like Ford switching to “Tesla” move right in front of us, what happens with full sized SUVs, Mid-Sized Utilities and Compact BEVs (VW MEB) are probably decided or maybe up for grabs with UAW an UNIFOR contracts. What ever happens, I suspect that Model E will probably consist of three manufacturing zones

- USA for F Series, Transit, Full sized Utilities

- Canada for Mid-sized Utilities and possibility BEV Cars (Taurus/Mustang)

- Mexico for cost sensitive Compact BEV utilities, maybe small BEV pickups and possibly compact car like Tesla 3

 

It’s clear that Ford will be evolving to facilities that look and behave like Tesla Giga plants and allied battery manufacturing facilities. For now, we have to wait and see how Ford reveals its plans and what they actually do but I suspect that the changes will accelerate beyond 2023 when labor contract negotiations are completed.

Edited April 2, 2022 by jpd80