You may be 100% correct, but just because two events occur sequentially doesn’t necessarily mean there is causality.  Companies spin information every which way they think will benefit them best, so it’s hard to know for sure.  Obviously Hyundai at some point in time must have thought there was demand or they wouldn’t have committed the necessary investment.  On the other hand it’s likely that shifting production to US took some time, so even if sales suddenly dropped 50% for unrelated reasons, reversing direction may have not been an option.  I hope you’re right and that sales bounce back in second half.  My concern is that general EV ownership sentiments have been shifting.

Meanwhile in Germany…….  

I find it slightly amusing that the reason Ford pulled out of the Rivian based Lincoln SUV  was because the electrical system was incompatible with Ford’s own electrical architecture.   It was las though Ford had to evolve and grow through a process of refinement before it could see what was truly needed. I guess that’s way, way better than making one costly mistake after another..   As I see it, getting a stable supply of batteries is the foundation that Ford needs established and then, it can go to town with rolling out plenty of hybrids, PHEVs and BEVs to its heart’s content.

I also think this could be a good idea. The Escalade V starts at 162k so that would give a higher ATP 

As mentioned earlier, the Hyundai/Kia EV sales loser categorization is due to shifts in production from South Korea to the U.S. for 2025 EV6, EV9, and Ioniq 5. They didn't import Korean built versions of the 2025 models to the U.S. while ramping up production at their two plants in Georgia, causing sales to drop as remaining 2024 models sold out.    Hyundai/Kia should see sales growth for their EV in the second half of the year

Stick the Raptor R's engine in the Nav...

Agreed. It's not a bad looking car, it just looks too similar to the s550. To be fair, Ford usually does this with mustang, two generations with similar styling followed by a massive change. That's the way it's been at least since the 90s.   So if they apply the same approach here, that's ok. I just hope Ford returns to giving us a new mustang generation every 5-7 years instead of having us wait 7-10 years. 

I think this only includes the software and electrical platform.   VW E-Motors are well regarded in the industry. IMO their hardware issues with MEB are due to them being a early entrant on dedicated EV platforms. Where later entrant were able to better optimize their platforms.  

I just thought of something else, by now Ford  was supposed to have  the GE2 BEV 3- Row Utility. I have to imagine that the continued delaying over years and silent cancellation have meant many changes and mis steps to what is done with Explorer, it’s refreshes and high series options.   Was Ford caught economising Explorer, changing long run supplier contracts because of the  3- row BEV that’s now been cancelled?  

Seems like legacy car makers are struggling with the electronics on EVs and this is VWs way of getting around that.