Ford’s vehicle planning needs a reboot…

[bzcat]

This is what I have been posting often about for the last couple of years here... The total haphazard way Ford develops its vehicles. It is crazy. 

 

Imagine if Toyota just decided to let RAV4 and Highlander go without replacements. Nuts right? And yet, that's what Ford is going/did with Escape and Edge.

 

And it's not about ICE vs. EV. It's about product continuity and market share. Ford doesn't have a compact long CUV to replace Escape (ICE or EV) but it is hell bent on ending production of Escape anyway. This is a products that sells in the biggest volume non-pickup segment on US. Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

[Oac98]

7 hours ago, bzcat said:

This is what I have been posting often about for the last couple of years here... The total haphazard way Ford develops its vehicles. It is crazy. 

 

Imagine if Toyota just decided to let RAV4 and Highlander go without replacements. Nuts right? And yet, that's what Ford is going/did with Escape and Edge.

 

And it's not about ICE vs. EV. It's about product continuity and market share. Ford doesn't have a compact long CUV to replace Escape (ICE or EV) but it is hell bent on ending production of Escape anyway. This is a products that sells in the biggest volume non-pickup segment on US. Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

You’re ABSOLUTELY correct!

[DeluxeStang]

13 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

I still think that these plans should've been done:

 

1a) Oakville should've stuck with Edge/Nautilus, kept Louisville as C2 Escape/Corsair (with new top hats), and put CE1 at the underutilized BOC until further EV demand is warranted for a wind down of ICE products

1b) Oakville gets Super Duty (as it is), keep Louisville as C2 Escape/Corsair (with new top hats) and ADD Edge/Nautilus, and put CE1 at the underutilized BOC until further EV demand is warranted for a wind down of ICE products

I agree with all of this, but it's always gonna easier for us to say what Ford should have done now that we've had years to reflect on it. It's been a bumpy journey, but at least they're on the right path now, at least it looks that way.

[Sherminator98]

17 hours ago, bzcat said:

And it's not about ICE vs. EV. It's about product continuity and market share. Ford doesn't have a compact long CUV to replace Escape (ICE or EV) but it is hell bent on ending production of Escape anyway. This is a products that sells in the biggest volume non-pickup segment on US. Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.

 

But it has the market still covered to a point by the Bronco Sport. I'm also assuming that CE1 CUV will be in production by the end of 2027. 

 

I haven't seen the exact date that LAP is supposed to be shut down either. I thought it might have been extended to Spring of next year? Its October, so you'd think that you'd be hearing that the Escape production is winding down if its going to shut down in December. 

 

So figure maybe an 18 month gap in sales? 

[rmc523]

8 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

I agree with all of this, but it's always gonna easier for us to say what Ford should have done now that we've had years to reflect on it. It's been a bumpy journey, but at least they're on the right path now, at least it looks that way.

 

I disagree.  I think a lot of us thought these moves didn't make sense/were questionable at the time.

 

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

But it has the market still covered to a point by the Bronco Sport. I'm also assuming that CE1 CUV will be in production by the end of 2027. 

 

I haven't seen the exact date that LAP is supposed to be shut down either. I thought it might have been extended to Spring of next year? Its October, so you'd think that you'd be hearing that the Escape production is winding down if its going to shut down in December. 

 

So figure maybe an 18 month gap in sales? 

 

Well, we do know they're doing a 2026 model year for Escape and Corsair, but we don't know exactly when they're going to stop production from articles I could find.

 

If they're smart (they're not), they'd overproduce right before shutting down to last throughout 2026 at least, and then hope that they can produce more Bronco Sports to absorb Escape sales.  Hopefully Corsair will be imported as was mentioned to maintain the sales momentum.

 

[Sherminator98]

15 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

If they're smart (they're not), they'd overproduce right before shutting down to last throughout 2026 at least, and then hope that they can produce more Bronco Sports to absorb Escape sales.  Hopefully Corsair will be imported as was mentioned to maintain the sales momentum.

I think they said that is what they are going to do and I'm assuming the 2026MY is in production now. 

Given that the 26MY can't be sold in 6 states due to CARB Regs they are using, I think Ford can make the Escape last till the end of 2026CY without much issues if they stop production in the March timeframe of next year. 

[ExplorerDude]

This article really hits on all of the concerns that I feel and see. It’s a well written article.

 

The pivot from ICE to BEV and then back to ICE and Hybrid, with EREV coming in as well has been messy and expensive both in time lost and financially.

 

The bottom line as to why the Edge and current Escape are being dropped is what Farley calls “commodity products” which he insists are “boring.” It upsets me because the only reason they became generic or boring is because Ford made them that way in their last generations. It’s also an easy excuse to just give up because that’s what Ford does. 

 

There has been a lot of movement and studies done about 2 row and 3 row utilities recently.

 

You will see the Escape sunset after MY26.

 

The CE1 EV pickup comes out for MY27 and then the CE1 EV utility comes out for MY28.

 

Bronco Sport gets redesigned for MY28.

 

A new C2 Hybrid only SUV appears to have been approved but won’t arrive until 2029 for MY30. This will be a sister to the next Bronco Sport.

[akirby]

It’s one thing to kill a commodity product and replace it with something better like replacing fusion with Maverick and Bronco sport or replacing focus with Ranger/bronco.

 

Replacing Edge and Nautilus with 3 row EVs was stupid.  Replacing Escape and Corsair with CE1 while BOC sits empty for 2 more years seems really stupid.

[rmc523]

13 minutes ago, ExplorerDude said:

This article really hits on all of the concerns that I feel and see. It’s a well written article.

 

The pivot from ICE to BEV and then back to ICE and Hybrid, with EREV coming in as well has been messy and expensive both in time lost and financially.

 

The bottom line as to why the Edge and current Escape are being dropped is what Farley calls “commodity products” which he insists are “boring.” It upsets me because the only reason they became generic or boring is because Ford made them that way in their last generations. It’s also an easy excuse to just give up because that’s what Ford does. 

 

There has been a lot of movement and studies done about 2 row and 3 row utilities recently.

 

You will see the Escape sunset after MY26.

 

The CE1 EV pickup comes out for MY27 and then the CE1 EV utility comes out for MY28.

 

Bronco Sport gets redesigned for MY28.

 

A new C2 Hybrid only SUV appears to have been approved but won’t arrive until 2029 for MY30. This will be a sister to the next Bronco Sport.

 

Exiting a critical segment (despite what Farley says) for 2+ years is just stupid.

It's a shame they couldn't have fast-tracked a Bronco Sport "Max" with a slight wheelbase extension to fill the gap temporarily.....I know that's far easier said than done, though.

 

That's fine an dandy that they approved a C2 hybrid vehicle, but that's 5 years away now.  Just incredible how poorly planned it all is.

[DeluxeStang]

1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

 

I disagree.  I think a lot of us thought these moves didn't make sense/were questionable at the time.

 

 

Well, we do know they're doing a 2026 model year for Escape and Corsair, but we don't know exactly when they're going to stop production from articles I could find.

 

From day one, I was iffy on the Ford bullet train 3 row, and as more information came out, the more skeptical I became, I was also nervous when Ford was pushing the EV thing super hard. But I understand why they made both of these decisions. 

 

We need to remember when Ford first launched their EVs, for awhile, they couldn't build enough of them, the wait times for a lightning or mach-e were insane. I wanna say at it's peak, the reservation list for the lighting was so long that it covered every lighting Ford was gonna make for 2 years, something like that. 

 

So you have to look at it from Ford's eyes, they thought their EVs at the time were gonna sell like gangbusters, and to be fair, the mach-e has to a degree, but they thought it was gonna be well above where it is today, that's what encouraged them to invest so heavily in EVs. It's easy to see that as a mistake now, but given the success they had for awhile, and the EV announcement arms race that was happening at the time, it's easy to see why they made these decisions.

[Sherminator98]

46 minutes ago, akirby said:

Replacing Edge and Nautilus with 3 row EVs was stupid.  Replacing Escape and Corsair with CE1 while BOC sits empty for 2 more years seems really stupid.

 

Technically BOC will be doing "something" in 2027, but won't be in mass production till 2028. Its more like 18 months or so, and not October 2027 before anything happens, but I guess that is possible. 

 

46 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

That's fine an dandy that they approved a C2 hybrid vehicle, but that's 5 years away now.  Just incredible how poorly planned it all is.

 

I think that boils down to lack of some place to build it.

 

Where could they fit it easily into production in say North America without upsetting other plants currently in production or retooling? 

 

And with that timeframe of coming in the next 4-5 years, what is going to change that plan again? 

 

 

 

[rmc523]

The issue is multifold really.  Reservations never automatically equaled sales, and volume/expansion was based on those reservations.  Announced pricing wasn't adhered to.  Sales have been propped up by gov't incentives (or automakers took advantage and increased prices to have their cake and eat it too).  Charing issues, range issues, etc. etc.

 

It'll be interesting to see how EV sales unfold over the next few years now that credits are gone.

 

They jumped out ahead of their skis and got caught with their pants down because they don't have 857 factories like GM that allows them to just say "F--- it, let's build both ICE and EV!"

[rmc523]

Just now, Sherminator98 said:

 

Technically BOC will be doing "something" in 2027, but won't be in mass production till 2028. Its more like 18 months or so, and not October 2027 before anything happens, but I guess that is possible. 

 

 

I think that boils down to lack of some place to build it.

 

Where could they fit it easily into production in say North America without upsetting other plants currently in production or retooling? 

 

And with that timeframe of coming in the next 4-5 years, what is going to change that plan again? 

 

 

 

 

That's a good point.  Ford will have only 1 NA C2 factory now (Hermosillo), yet they're adding a Maverick van and this upcoming SUV, and they're already getting closer to capacity?  The math ain't mathing.....unless they're going to expand the plant.

[tbone]

4 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

That's a good point.  Ford will have only 1 NA C2 factory now (Hermosillo), yet they're adding a Maverick van and this upcoming SUV, and they're already getting closer to capacity?  The math ain't mathing.....unless they're going to expand the plant.

They need another C2 plant, plain and simple.  It’s the heart of the market.  They have multiple products they could continue or add using the new line. It’s embarrassingly horrible planning on their part.  And yet, nobody has taken responsibility for it.
 

I think it is a dangerous move on Ford’s part thinking they are replacing their discontinued models with BEVs. They may be cheaper than they were and perhaps better range, but virtually all of the issues with the BEV transition that we have discussed over the last few years still remain.  The only thing that may be better is the available electric capacity driven by all the new data centers.  

[Oac98]

20 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

I agree with all of this, but it's always gonna easier for us to say what Ford should have done now that we've had years to reflect on it. It's been a bumpy journey, but at least they're on the right path now, at least it looks that way.

I hope you’re right.

[Texasota]

On 10/4/2025 at 5:05 PM, twintornados said:

 

BSport is what Escape used to be, before it went all "Uptown Girl" style wise.....

I warmed up to this name.

 

[jpd80]

What concerns me is that Ford has put its Canadian workers through hell with mismanaged changes.

All they had to do is give them C2 Equator/Equator Sport, renamed Escape and Edge plus Lincoln variants,

new Corsair and Nautilis.

 

 

 

[Sherminator98]

2 hours ago, jpd80 said:

What concerns me is that Ford has put its Canadian workers through hell with mismanaged changes.

All they had to do is give them C2 Equator/Equator Sport, renamed Escape and Edge plus Lincoln variants,

new Corsair and Nautilis.

 

While that might have been the smart thing to do, I'm thinking that the SD move to Canada was a warning shot to the UAW so they know they don't have Ford's crown jewels in a vice next contract. Given the rhetoric that is coming in 2028, things might get very messy then.  

[twintornados]

19 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

While that might have been the smart thing to do, I'm thinking that the SD move to Canada was a warning shot to the UAW so they know they don't have Ford's crown jewels in a vice next contract. Given the rhetoric that is coming in 2028, things might get very messy then.  

 

A warning shot....or a gift of a negotiation tactic for UNIFOR?

[NLPRacing]

7 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

While that might have been the smart thing to do, I'm thinking that the SD move to Canada was a warning shot to the UAW so they know they don't have Ford's crown jewels in a vice next contract. Given the rhetoric that is coming in 2028, things might get very messy then.  

 

They're not moving SD production to Canada, they are just adding more capacity. Right? It would allow Ford to sell Super Duty's in Canada tariff free and export to other countries that aren't wanting to work with the US. 

[Sherminator98]

1 minute ago, NLPRacing said:

 

They're not moving SD production to Canada, they are just adding more capacity. Right? It would allow Ford to sell Super Duty's in Canada tariff free and export to other countries that aren't wanting to work with the US. 

 

the tariff situation didn't exist when this decision was made. It was also made right after the UAW strike happened. 

[akirby]

2 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

the tariff situation didn't exist when this decision was made. It was also made right after the UAW strike happened. 

It’s more about needing more SD and Expy/Navi capacity when Oakville opened up. I don’t think it had anything to do with UAW.  

[Sherminator98]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

It’s more about needing more SD and Expy/Navi capacity when Oakville opened up. I don’t think it had anything to do with UAW.  

I still really wonder about this-from what I can see, Ford makes about 200K SD pickups between KTP and OAP and they want to increase production 50%? (300K)

I also don't see Expy and Navi gaining that much either...maybe a 10-20% increase if they can build more?

[akirby]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

I still really wonder about this-from what I can see, Ford makes about 200K SD pickups between KTP and OAP and they want to increase production 50%? (300K)

I also don't see Expy and Navi gaining that much either...maybe a 10-20% increase if they can build more?

KTP is building close to 400k super duties annually not including Expy and Navi.

[OacRookie]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

I still really wonder about this-from what I can see, Ford makes about 200K SD pickups between KTP and OAP and they want to increase production 50%? (300K)

I also don't see Expy and Navi gaining that much either...maybe a 10-20% increase if they can build more?

 

There's also supposed to be the E-REV versions of all 3 vehicles coming out in the future for those 3 models as well (with OAC taking the lead on Super Duty E-REV), but who knows what demand will be like for them...

 

Farley seems to mention it whenever he is interviewed that KTP is running at max capacity as well.

 

OAC Is only supposed to be opening on 1 production shift whenever we get going so it seems like we are purely an overflow plant at this point. It definitely gives Ford flexibility if Expedition and Navigator demand requires shifting some production of SDs at KTP.