Ford to show off VW based BEV March 21st, the Explorer EV

[ice-capades 4,760]

On 3/22/2023 at 4:12 PM, akirby said:

Not quite.  Their position is we’re offering Maverick. Escape Ranger and Bronco Sport.  If you want something else at those price points you can shop other brands.

 

Honda has nothing to compete with Transit, Transit Connect, Mustang, F150, Super Duty, E350 and Expedition.  Ridgeline doesn’t have Maverick pricing or Ranger capabilities.  Koreans are in the same boat.  
 

Yes it sucks for a few customers but as a company strategy it makes perfect sense to focus on vehicles that generate passion and excitement because those don't require bargain basement pricing to sell.

 

Your points are all valid. My primary point was that Ford no longer offers a reasonably priced entry level vehicle other than the Maverick and Ford makes it very difficult for customers to find lower trim Escape, Ranger and Bronco Sport models. It's understood that market conditions are forcing Ford to prioritize and produce higher trim models to maximize profits as a result of recent and current market conditions, supply chain issues, reduced production, etc. Ford is not unique in this regard, but new vehicle prices are insane and unaffordable to more and more customers in the current economic situation with rising interest rates, etc.

 

The supply vs. demand condition is a primary driving force but dealership business practices with ADM's and other actions are making a bad situation worse and cementing, in the eyes of many customers, the negative opinion of dealerships in general.  

[akirby 16,596]

Agreed.  Definitely sucks to be a customer right now.

 

Look at it this way - Ford can either build Maverick/Bronco Sport or Focus/Fusion in Hermosillo as entry level vehicles.

 

One pair is a commodity with 7 or 8 competitors each that sell mainly on price no markups and usually requires incentives.

 

The other pair is unique in the market with only 1 or 2 competitors each.  Buyers are passionate, do lots of customization, are willing to wait up to a year and gladly pay above MSRP.

[AM222 93]

On 3/24/2023 at 2:58 AM, rmc523 said:

 

Well, you saw some of these videos.  Let's not pretend like this thing is the size of an Excursion.

A compact SUV is for sure more expensive, less aerodynamic, heavier and less efficient than a similar size compact car. This applies to both BEVs and ICE vehicles.
This is why I think Ford needs to continue offering cars, probably something like a new gen Fiesta & Focus with EV versions.

Edited 19 hours ago by AM222

[silvrsvt 4,331]

45 minutes ago, AM222 said:

A compact SUV is for sure more expensive, less aerodynamic, heavier and less efficient than a similar size compact car. This applies to both EVs or ICE vehicles.
This is why Ford needs something like a new Fiesta and Focus with EV versions.

 

Not really, A Model 3 and a Model Y have a difference of 28 miles in range..which I think the vast majority of buyers would give up to get two box functionally. 

[rmc523 4,294]

2 hours ago, AM222 said:

A compact SUV is for sure more expensive, less aerodynamic, heavier and less efficient than a similar size compact car. This applies to both BEVs and ICE vehicles.
This is why I think Ford needs to continue offering cars, probably something like a new gen Fiesta & Focus with EV versions.

 

Sure, but crossovers are popular now, so it makes sense to have that be the first product.

 

I too would like to see cars, but crossovers are the priority right now.  Plus, there's that other model coming that looks lower/smaller than even this Explorer...

 

[bzcat 2,264]

8 hours ago, AM222 said:

A compact SUV is for sure more expensive, less aerodynamic, heavier and less efficient than a similar size compact car. This applies to both BEVs and ICE vehicles.
This is why I think Ford needs to continue offering cars, probably something like a new gen Fiesta & Focus with EV versions.

 

Calling Explorer EV a compact SUV is really stretching the term. The size and ground clearance seems to be almost the same as existing Focus. Basically, if everything is marketed as SUV or CUV, does the term even mean anything anymore?

 

Puma has mostly replaced Fiesta and Explorer EV is replacing Focus, at least in Europe where these models are sold. 

 

Ford probably will sell a EV sedan in China at some point but there won't be EV versions of Fiesta or Focus per se.