Ford's new path forward

[akirby]

Bronco pickup was my first thought but no way that would be "affordable".

 

[Oac98]

12 hours ago, joseodiaga4 said:

Fixed!!

Tell me about it!!! I know this all too well as an employee of this corporation!

[fordmantpw]

8 minutes ago, Oac98 said:

Tell me about it!!! I know this all too well as an employee of this corporation!

 

Do we know what the current plan is for OAC?  Still an electrified Super Duty coming in 2026?

[morgan20]

7 hours ago, mustang84isu said:

I want to remain optimistic about the future, but this company seems lost.  

 

It's been that way for a long time. Even before I first worked there in the 1990s, FoMoCo was goin' from one crisis to another. But to your point about remain optimistic about the future, Ford is still around today, despite so many of the company's big shots then and now being narcissistic psychopaths doin' everything except executing sound business strategies with a long-term focus. 

 

But as I mentioned earlier, if you prefer it may be prudent to grab a life preserver and jump off the sinking ship while you can.

[morgan20]

29 minutes ago, akirby said:

A slower and more calculated approach would have been far better but thats not Farley's style.  He likes to swing for the fences.

 

...and miss almost every time. Jimbo is the most psychotic head honcho at FoMoCo since Jac Nasser.

 

[akirby]

Ok hear me out.  Borg may not be wrong.
 

Step 1 - Kill Ranger and add a Bronco pickup to MAP.  The pickup will be lower volume but higher profit freeing up Bronco capacity as they add hybrids.

 

Step 2 - combine Maverick with CE1 components and make a new unibody Ranger.  Offer affordable single cab models and a crew cab Maverick replacement.  All hybrids.  Maybe even a SUV.  

 

This frees up Hermosillo to make next gen bronco sport and vans.

[Sherminator98]

9 minutes ago, akirby said:

Well if it's truly affordable as in significantly cheaper than Maverick 

 

Affordable is nebulous term-I see it as a product that still makes a profit. Not sure Ford can sell a cheaper product under the Maverick, plus an EV Truck. 

 

Just as an example-looking at it being "affordable"

 

The math I used-starting MSRP for the lowest end trim and highest end trim to get the average price. $5K downpayment over 60 months at 5% interest

 

Maverick payment would be `$643.41 a month

 

Ranger payment $865.01

 

CE1 EV Assumed $35K starting price and the top end going up to 50K $841 payment

 

Cheap Small pickup-$22K starting MSRP and it topping out at $36K $542 a month payment

[Sherminator98]

3 minutes ago, akirby said:

Ok hear me out.  Borg may not be wrong.
 

Step 1 - Kill Ranger and add a Bronco pickup to MAP.  The pickup will be lower volume but higher profit freeing up Bronco capacity as they add hybrids.

 

I dunno I don't see the appeal of the Bronco Pickup, going by how poorly the Gladiator has been doing. If anything, maybe just change the Ranger styling using the Bronco 2/4 door body from the C pillar forward, but still looks like a pickup? The Gladiator suffers from having too long of a bed and just looks disjointed. 

[fordmantpw]

Cheap small pickup with a payment of $542/month.  Yikes!

 

Back in my day...

[fordmantpw]

1 minute ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

I dunno I don't see the appeal of the Bronco Pickup, going by how poorly the Gladiator has been doing. If anything, maybe just change the Ranger styling using the Bronco 2/4 door body from the C pillar forward, but still looks like a pickup? The Gladiator suffers from having too long of a bed and just looks disjointed. 

 

I think the execution of the Gladiator is the problem, like you mentioned.  The only ones that look decent are the ones with big tires.  Everything else just looks out of whack.  I think a Bronco truck could be done well, but I don't see the point over a Ranger.  Unless they just want something to stand out in a crowd of mid-sized trucks, where the Ranger does not.

[Sherminator98]

At this point to keep things fun we start using ploymarket to make bets on what Ford does next.

 

So how many times will this plan change between now and 2029?!

[Sherminator98]

5 minutes ago, fordmantpw said:

Cheap small pickup with a payment of $542/month.  Yikes!

 

Back in my day...

 

Yeah car payments are insane, that is why I question how "cheap" it actually can be. Interest rates don't do any favors either, but people have been used to subprime rates for over the past decade and a half. 

[akirby]

39 minutes ago, morgan20 said:

 

...and miss almost every time. Jimbo is the most psychotic head honcho at FoMoCo since Jac Nasser.

 

He does deserve huge kudos for the ce1 skunkworks team.  We don't know how successful it will be but that took balls to set up a team like that and give them complete freedom from the usual corporate bullshit and to bring inso many outsiders.

 

I suspect he also had a big hand in Bronco, Bronco Sport and Maverick.

[akirby]

34 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

I dunno I don't see the appeal of the Bronco Pickup, going by how poorly the Gladiator has been doing. If anything, maybe just change the Ranger styling using the Bronco 2/4 door body from the C pillar forward, but still looks like a pickup? The Gladiator suffers from having too long of a bed and just looks disjointed. 

They're still selling 50k gladiators every year which is the same or slightly higher than Ranger.  Seems like a no brainer swap to me even if sales are a bit lower.

[Sherminator98]

5 minutes ago, akirby said:

They're still selling 50k gladiators every year which is the same or slightly higher than Ranger.  Seems like a no brainer swap to me even if sales are a bit lower.

 

 

IIRC the Gladiator is also one of the most incentivized vehicles since its inception too. 

[DeluxeStang]

36 minutes ago, fordmantpw said:

 

I think the execution of the Gladiator is the problem, like you mentioned.  The only ones that look decent are the ones with big tires.  Everything else just looks out of whack.  I think a Bronco truck could be done well, but I don't see the point over a Ranger.  Unless they just want something to stand out in a crowd of mid-sized trucks, where the Ranger does not.

This is my guess, it's them addressing the weakest link in their truck line-up. The maverick is stellar, the f-series is iconic, and the ranger is just kinda ok. Maybe this is how they see a way to ensure their entire truck lineup is world class.

 

It would also let them differentiate their truck lineup more because they'd be replacing a more conventional truck with a lifestyle oriented one. So you'd have the frugal and efficient maverick, the lifestyle mid-sized bronco truck, and then the work horse f-series, everything stands on its own without getting on each other's toes. 

 

Something that looked similar to the scout truck would be great. 

[rmc523]

2 hours ago, twintornados said:

So, the redesign of Lightning will get rid of the frunk and put a engine/generator combo in it's place? 

 

Seems like it.

[rmc523]

2 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

The Maverick moved up in price partly due to inflation, which has affected every other car too. 

Just looking at the Nissan Versa-It cost $14800 back in 2020 and is 18-20K today-a nearly 4-6K increase that the Maverick has seen also. 

 

 

Also why build a product that is going to be lucky to sell 100K units or so a year at a brand new plant that can most likely do 3-4X that a year? The Ranger sold about 100K units in 2020 and 2021 and has seen a significant drop since the Bronco came out. 

 

Does Ford see that much of a demand for it that isn't been filled? 

 

Yeah, that's what I said too - doesn't make sense to put a Bronco truck at its own plant.

 

They're slicing the pie thin.

 

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Well if it's truly affordable as in significantly cheaper than Maverick I think they could sell 150k easily.  It wont be the only product there.  I'm just trying to spitball a totally new model thats affordable.

 

I mean, short of a Slate-like pickup, I'm not sure how much smaller of a truck they could come out with?

 

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Ok hear me out.  Borg may not be wrong.
 

Step 1 - Kill Ranger and add a Bronco pickup to MAP.  The pickup will be lower volume but higher profit freeing up Bronco capacity as they add hybrids.

 

Step 2 - combine Maverick with CE1 components and make a new unibody Ranger.  Offer affordable single cab models and a crew cab Maverick replacement.  All hybrids.  Maybe even a SUV.  

 

This frees up Hermosillo to make next gen bronco sport and vans.

 

You're basically suggesting killing Maverick?  I'm not fully understanding your Step 2?

[Motorpsychology]

I am happy with my Ranger truck, I wouldn't want a "Bronco Family"or unibody truck. Only in North America is Ranger the red headed stepchild, ROW is set to sell more than 300,000 of them this calendar year. Wait and see how the Ranger Super Duty does in markets where the F-series are also sold.

Edited December 16, 2025 by Motorpsychology

[rmc523]

12 hours ago, akirby said:

I still think T3 is an important product longer term, but I understand wanting to focus on more affordable EVs.

 

The new gas truck is a bit of a head scratcher.  I'll start a new topic on that one.

 

10 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

I'd imagine the design for t3 at the very least will carry over. Apparently it looks like a futuristic take on those late 90s, early 2000s f-150s. That doesn't sound attractive when described, but people who've seen it have actually said it looks quite nice. 

 

I wonder if we'll see T3 just shelved until EV tech becomes more viable/can replace EREVs.  They can revamp it using learnings from CE1 to make it more affordable without the pressure of X date launch.

 

I'd have liked to see it.  It may just be because that's what I grew up with, but I liked the '97-03 F-series/Expy.

[Sherminator98]

All-New Ford Pickup To Supplement Maverick, Ranger, F-Series

 

Quote

As part of its rather massive and sudden shift away from EVs (at least, those not utilizing the forthcoming Universal EV Platform) and toward hybrids and EREVs, Ford announced that its new facility will now be known as the Tennessee Truck Plant, and rather than the next-generation F-150 EV, it will instead produce "all-new Built Ford Tough truck models." Those unknown haulers will enter production at TTP in 2029, effectively taking the place of what was known internally as the T3.

 

According to Ford, these new trucks will be "affordable" and "gas-powered," making it seem like the automaker is planning to add something entirely new to its lineup, rather than a pre-existing model to the Tennessee Truck Plant assembly lines. Ford revealed that it will launch five new "affordable" vehicles by 2030, with four of them slated for U.S. production, as well as a new, affordable commercial van with gas and hybrid options that will be built at the Ohio Assembly Plant starting in 2029.

 

[Sherminator98]

4 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

I wonder if we'll see T3 just shelved until EV tech becomes more viable/can replace EREVs.  They can revamp it using learnings from CE1 to make it more affordable without the pressure of X date launch.

 

I'd have liked to see it.  It may just be because that's what I grew up with, but I liked the '97-03 F-series/Expy.

 

I wonder if they'll use the T3 style or at least its inspiration for the next Gen F-150 which should launch before 2029?

 

[akirby]

17 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

Yeah, that's what I said too - doesn't make sense to put a Bronco truck at its own plant.

 

They're slicing the pie thin.

 

 

I mean, short of a Slate-like pickup, I'm not sure how much smaller of a truck they could come out with?

 

 

You're basically suggesting killing Maverick?  I'm not fully understanding your Step 2?

Details in the other topic I started.

[rmc523]

16 minutes ago, Motorpsychology said:

I am happy with my Ranger truck, I wouldn't want a "Bronco Family"or unibody truck. Only in North America is Ranger the red headed stepchild, ROW is set to sell more than 300,000 of them this calendar year. Wait and see how the Ranger Super Duty does in markets where the F-series are also sold.

 

I doubt this means anything about global Ranger production, but I'd agree that I doubt all Ranger customers would want a Bronco truck.

 

And, I don't think the Ranger Super Duty is being sold where F-series is sold.....

 

8 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

All-New Ford Pickup To Supplement Maverick, Ranger, F-Series

 

 

Might be the Maverick-based van?

[rmc523]

1 minute ago, akirby said:

Details in the other topic I started.

 

Too many threads discussing the same topics.  lol

Edited December 16, 2025 by rmc523