The major distinction is for SDV is that all of the functions are on the same operating system instead of 20+ separate software systems that operate independently in non-SDV.   The easiest way to visualize this is SDV is top-down driven logic while conventional vehicles are bottoms up driven logic. In a top-down logic, all the functions follows the code from central ECU. In bottoms up logic, the native codes are written at the function level and you have silos.    Another way to think about this is to understand who actually makes all the components of the car. A traditional car will have seats make by external supplier who will program its ECU using its own software code. And the HVAC system is supplied by a different company who programs its ECU in a different way. So the car company then spend all its time integrating it so the two subsystems talk to each other. Now when you press the heated seat button on the HVAC panel, the HVAC system knows how to turn on your heated seat.   In a SDV, both seat controls and HVAC will be controlled by the same set of ECU that controls that zone so there is no integration required.    This article shed some light on how Rivian has advanced the art of SDV and why VW paid $5 billion to try to get it    https://www.popsci.com/technology/rivian-zonal-electrical-architecture/  

Check out today's Ford  Authority.  Pix of "regular cab" Ranger Super Duty.  Big rubber on 8-bolt wheels, big rear spring picture-very close to 150 territory IMO

A year nothing. I am at the 40 month mark. Had to reorder every year. Started out as a 22. At least I have a Vin and a production week now. And now a maybe day of 01/18. Ford said that could slip too. Hope you get it soon. 

Ford wanted to add to its tally right before the end of the year.......I guess it (could) make next year's numbers look better, though....   Ford Ends 2024 With a Big Recall for Diesel Trucks   Ford is no longer the most-recalled brand in America, but it didn't end 2024 quietly. On December 20, the automaker recalled 295,449 trucks equipped with the 6.7-liter diesel engine. A problem with fuel pumps in these vehicles could lead to reduced power or a stalled engine. And the fix is, in a word, curious. The problem applies primarily to Super Duty trucks from 2020 through 2022, affecting 286,138 F-250s and F-350s as well as the larger F-450, F-550, and F-600 pickups. A handful of F-650 and F-750 commercial vehicles from are included as well. The fuel pumps in these trucks may not take well to aged biodiesel fuel; deposits could form on internal components, causing the pump to either perform poorly or fail outright.

Ford did away with the ability to get an X plan PIN for owning stock back in 2022.

Also is it my imagination or is the Focus/Escape/Fusion grill a new look for a lot of vehicles-and add the Rivian to the Flex look a like list IMO

Love your signature line- reincarnation? 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe:

Ol' Henry's infamous antisemitism is maybe my least favorite part of the company's history, especially in how it tied to some terrible tie-ins with the German Jackboot club in the 1930's-40's. Then again, nothing prepared me for having 1930's Germany rhetoric shouted by Gen Z college students over here...with a pro-terror twist.

Great question.  Are you eligible for x plan after owning ford stock for a specific amount of time?  If so, Id like to know how to get a pin as well.  I'm also looking at purchasing a 2025 expedition later this year.