It looks like they know what they're doing. So why all the recalls?! Interesting to see that the human touch is needed on the little stuff. I noticed when they were attaching the lug nuts on the Fords, they manually spun them a few threads. Are they afraid using an impact tool could cause cross-threading? Don't they have the means to place the lug nuts into a robot controlled device that would line up perfectly? Maybe not. I think the Stellantis segment was made several years ago because of the mask wearing. What might confirm this is that I saw an International on the line behind a GM medium and that joint venture is no longer in effect. Or is it?  I don't think so. 

I think it’s any big corporation. IBM was the same.

yes, thank you both for those two real world examples that show just how entrenched certain corporate business practices can become, moreso the management resistance to change for a number of reasons. And then you get the other types thst love changing things for no apparent reason. I can see how working at Ford would drive people nuts unless they give themselves over to the system.

...and retooling overseas plants to the new style "assembly tree" line and related unicasting plant....

My guess is this is the plan long term. Its a lot cheaper to use someone else's platform and/or factories when testing the reception to something.    So what Ford is doing imo is saying let's put out an EV small crossover, or ev hatchback in someone else's platform,and see how it's received. What do people like and not like.    If it flops hard, the losses are minimal. If there's decent demand, Ford can say ok, now that we know this should be successful, let's invest in doing a person on our own UEV platform where they can make it even better.    The few years where these products run on Renault or EV platforms gives Ford time to endure the quality behind UEV and the assembly tree method gets the kinks worked out before they start adding a bunch of new models. 

It would be nice if Ford could take this advantadge and make money in markets around the world, not just North America.

I remember in the 80's, almost every Chevy and Toyota model name began with a C.

Yea, the 3rd quarter results gave Rivian shares a boost yesterday:   Rivian Automotive Inc. (RIVN) shares are trading higher Friday after the EV maker beat third-quarter expectations and raised its delivery outlook. The stock also drew support from Rivian's growing software and autonomy business, helping it outperform a weaker broader market.   Yorkville Ives analyst Dan Ives maintained an Outperform rating and $20 price forecast, calling the results the "beat-and-raise quarter the R2 story needed." "Rivian's two engines are now coming into sharper focus: R2 is becoming the volume platform, and the software and autonomy stack is creating value beyond the vehicle," Ives said.       I don't think that's happenin' in the next 10-15 years. Remember a few months ago when VW Group's stake in Rivian increased to about 16% (for comparison, Amazon and Uber combined hold 12%) and conspiracy theories about VW buyin' out Rivian made their rounds? The founder of RivianTrackr explained the actual situation:   What most people freaking out about this miss is what it says about Volkswagen. VW is one of the biggest carmakers in the world, and it’s spent years (and a truly wild amount of money) trying to build its own EV software through its Cariad division. It did not go well. Cariad got downgraded to just coordinating stuff, and deadlines kept slipping. The whole point of this Rivian partnership is that VW finally admitted it couldn’t pull this off on its own. So, the company cutting these billion-dollar checks? It’s not flexing its muscles. It’s admitting it needs what Rivian’s already built.   That’s important for all the takeover talk, because the way VW got this stake doesn’t look anything like a company scheming for control.   And honestly, VW isn’t even in a position to buy anyone right now. Its finances are a mess, and it’s burning through cash as it tries to switch to electric. Plus, it owns Scout Motors, which will be going head-to-head with Rivian in the US. A company with that much on its plate isn’t about to buy out the same partner it desperately needs for software.   Of course, that doesn’t mean things can’t change. VW has already spent about $3.3 billion of the $5.8 billion, and if it puts in the remaining $2.5 billion, its stake could exceed 20% by 2027. So, yeah, having someone own more than a fifth of your company is definitely something to watch. But just because the number’s going up doesn’t mean it’s a takeover. Right now, this looks a lot more like a giant leaning on Rivian than one getting ready to swallow it. Whether that holds true probably depends on whether VW actually gets this software into its cars. We’re still a long way from knowing how that’ll turn out.

The hands-free driving aspect of BlueCruise won't activate above 81 mph, but ACC, lane centering, and lane change assist still work. At least they did on our '25 MME GT.

So BluesCruise doesn't work past 80?  Good to know, wouldn't work for me...