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Ford introducing new 7 seat EV CUV in 2025 with 350 miles of range


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14 minutes ago, Rick73 said:


That logic works great assuming Mach-E at $42k is profitable, but is that the case, or even close to that?  We really don’t know how much the base Mach E costs to build because Ford can be losing a lot per vehicle (beyond investment in plants and all that).  MSRP in this case is not of much value to project (estimate) cost of new vehicles which will have to be profitable at some point in near future.

 

The newer platforms are made to be more efficient to build and use power efficiently to operate.

 

The Mach E is a second gen BEV based on a modified ICE platform, where as this is a clean sheet designed just to be used and built as an EV.

 

Think the Camaro or Challenger being a 2 seat based on a sedan platform vs the Mustang being a purely coupe design. 

 

The Mach E started as an EU compliance car...so keep that in mind also with its history. 

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For what it’s worth, and for comparison only, the Tesla Model Y can be purchased with extended range battery (still less than Ford’s 350 miles), with $3,000 optional third seat, and if priced with a hitch, red color (non white), and white interior, price jumps to $59,500 including delivery.  Assuming Tesla is profitable at that +/- $60k for a Y that is similar vehicle, much improvement will be required to get price down around $40k (or even $50k) in my opinion.  I mention Tesla Y because many of the needed manufacturing improvements have already been baked in.

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Better packaging on a North American GE2 EV Explorer would also mean a longer wheelbase, justifying that EV Expedition name?
 I look forward to how Ford executes this vehicle as it could answer a few questions about reducing future model count. Think ‘tweeners doing double duty by pulling buyer choices in different directions…. 
 

In the scale of things, European VW based EV Explorer is a temporary vehicle, maybe a future reconfigured GE1 Mach E is reconfigured to cover the EV Explorer product space with Ford USA already at work on a Bronco EV below it…..just a thought. 

Edited by jpd80
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What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

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5 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

.....Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered.......

 

I dearly love to see the Thunderbird resurrected (think two seat sporty car) but NOT as a 3-row battery-powered CUV.  Lordy....

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5 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

If it’s not loved by many who see it, I have a hard time seeing ford throwing the thunderbird name on it. Ford wouldn’t waste it on that. Doorstop seems to be a more appropriate name for this thing.

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11 minutes ago, T-dubz said:

If it’s not loved by many who see it, I have a hard time seeing ford throwing the thunderbird name on it. Ford wouldn’t waste it on that. Doorstop seems to be a more appropriate name for this thing.

 

I'm thinking Borg may have meant that it wasn't loved in terms of 'Explorer' name attached to the vehicle in that low-riding aero style. The Explorer has always been upright, boxy, and higher up. Even with the 2011-2019 unibody front driver/all wheel drive one. So I do agree that this vehicle should not have 'Explorer' name at all. They can still do a true upright, boxy midsized TE1 EV with 'Explorer' and build that at BOC. Or as a GE2 at OAC if there's room for three EVs. As for 'Thunderbird' name, I would wait for confirmation before we react or overreact. Let's see an announcement first or confirmation by an insider or two here. Having said that though, it could be well-executed. Remember that the C-Max replacement was quickly redone as a Mustang Mach-E with huge success. It could be done with this one as 'Thunderbird' with various recognizable retro styling cues. The upcoming UAW talks will be quite interesting, to say the least, regarding upcoming products and their nameplates.

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33 minutes ago, pffan1990 said:

The upcoming UAW talks will be quite interesting, to say the least, regarding upcoming products and their nameplates.


keep in mind anything new (i.e. not already in production) is going to be referred to as “exciting new product” or something to that effect when the new contract comes out. That’s the way it always is. 

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9 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

God, I hope not. It's exactly what I was worried about when Farley was talking about making areo more of a focus. Areo and attractive design often don't mix. Range matters, but not as much as design appeal. I thought Farley understand that when he canned that ugly design proposal that came before the mach-e. When they released the mach-e, they were talking about how design appeal was going to be a driving factor for most if not all of Ford's future EVs. 

 

What is GMI? I've heard people mention it before, but I've never asked. 

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4 hours ago, mackinaw said:

 

I dearly love to see the Thunderbird resurrected (think two seat sporty car) but NOT as a 3-row battery-powered CUV.  Lordy....

Last I heard, if Thunderbird was going to come back at all, it was meant to be a c8 competitor. One of the design themes was described as a modern looking take on the '04 Cobra concepts basic design. Would be sad if they canned that in favor of a crossover. Maybe Thunderbird becomes its own sub brand with a new coupe and SUV, who knows. 

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16 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

What an absolutely hideous looking vehicle under the tarp. I don’t think it will look any better with the tarp off I pray to God that’s not what this vehicle is gonna look like or it’s gonna be a massive flop!

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16 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

That’s it. 100% accurate. That is the 7-seater EV, also referenced as the “personal bullet train.” I am not impressed by this thing from a design standpoint. It’s shocking the first time you see it. Like I said, it’s very futuristic and is a mix of various designs from past and present, the Polestar 3, 1995 Taurus wagon, Reflex concept and Explorer EV in Europe combined was the vibe.

 

The interesting thing about this vehicle is that it changed once already. When it was supposed to be built in Mexico alongside the Mach-E it looked far more like a traditional Explorer, a nice evolution of the Explorer’s design. But the program was canceled / drastically changed and even the development code changed. They basically started over because it didn’t go far enough. Feels like they went too far. Not sure whether it will carry the Explorer name or not.
 

 

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I have this feeling that more radical styling is going to be the norm to help with highway ranges on BEVs, so expect more cars that look like they are from the 1980s :)

 

I do have to say it certainly doesn't look boring. Guess we will see how it does. 

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18 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

The design is weird, not loved by many who see it


I know someone who’s seen it. His quote was: “It was ok. It didn't take my breath away.  The exterior was much sleeker than the current explorer.  Similar to an oversized Edge.”

 

Now that I think about it that sounds exactly like the kind of design the mainstream media is going to fawn over. 

Edited by fuzzymoomoo
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Well, 350 mi range is nice, but at 349 mi you need to find a place to charge, and spend 30-50 minutes or more for a full charge, to go another 350 mi, etc. Should work ok for suburban duty, but with compact and midsize BEVs with entry level prices $40,000 and up, what will be the median MSRP for a long range C/D class BEV? 

 

Not a fan of such steeply raked windshields. Increased glare and dashboard reflection, and the inside panels very awkward to clean. We have real-time video camera rearview mirrors, why not realtime forward vision video screens? The outside could be raked any degree, while the inside screen could be at a comfortable viewing angle, maybe adjustable. No glare or reflection, and it could be made to support multiple windows, so the passenger can watch a movie.play games, etc.

Edited by Chrisgb
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A vehicle with the accent on aerodinámics could be very atractive. Look at the cars I’m posting here.

 

And about not to use heritage Ford names on new EV and/or Crossovers, is not possible because the future is EV and Crossovers.  Nothing else.  Not sedans, not coupes, not sport cars…. So, a stylish 3 row crossover called Thunderbird will be welcomed.

 

P.S.:  The original Taurus was called too futuristic and advanced for the times.   And was the car that saved Ford in the 80’s 

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Edited by .I.
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49 minutes ago, Chrisgb said:

Well, 350 mi range is nice, but at 349 mi you need to find a place to charge, and spend 30-50 minutes or more for a full charge, to go another 350 mi, etc. Should work ok for suburban duty, but with compact and midsize BEVs with entry level prices $40,000 and up, what will be the median MSRP for a long range C/D class BEV? 


No different than any other BEV right now.  It’s not for everybody. 
 

I’m guessing they’re targeting $40k due to simplification and cheaper batteries.

 

 

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52 minutes ago, Chrisgb said:

Not a fan of such steeply raked windshields. Increased glare and dashboard reflection, and the inside panels very awkward to clean. We have real-time video camera rearview mirrors, why not realtime forward vision video screens? The outside could be raked any degree, while the inside screen could be at a comfortable viewing angle, maybe adjustable. No glare or reflection, and it could be made to support multiple windows, so the passenger can watch a movie.play games, etc.


And what happens when the computer glitches while you’re doing 70 mph and you’re completely blind?

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1 hour ago, .I. said:

A vehicle with the accent on aerodinámics could be very atractive. Look at the cars I’m posting here.

 

And about not to use heritage Ford names on new EV and/or Crossovers, is not possible because the future is EV and Crossovers.  Nothing else.  Not sedans, not coupes, not sport cars…. So, a stylish 3 row crossover called Thunderbird will be welcomed.

 

P.S.:  The original Taurus was called too futuristic and advanced for the times.   And was the car that saved Ford in the 80’s 

IMG_5130.jpeg

IMG_5131.jpeg

IMG_5132.jpeg

Here's the thing, areo doesn't always make a car look worse. Arguably, the best looking car Ford has ever made was the last gen Ford gt, and that car is extremely areo driven in it's design. But when a team doesn't care about appearance, and just starts chasing a low drag coefficient, things get ugly fast.

 

I'll also agree that futuristic designs take some time to come around on. But the 80s Tarus was basically loved my most people from day 1. It was futuristic and radical, but people thought it looked awesome. There's, that's futuristic but badass. Then there's, what the hell even is that? Sadly, it seems like this ev falls into that category. 

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2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


I know someone who’s seen it. His quote was: “It was ok. It didn't take my breath away.  The exterior was much sleeker than the current explorer.  Similar to an oversized Edge.”

 

Now that I think about it that sounds exactly like the kind of design the mainstream media is going to fawn over. 


my brain cannot comprehend how that image and an oversized edge could ever be compared to each other ?

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