I've felt they've been doing the minimum for the past 5-6 years.
What Ford needs to know is the RoW needs vehicles like the Puma (both ICE and EV) but built in regional plants because importing it from Europe makes it very uncompetitive. A common complaint from the few markets outside Europe the Puma is sold in or was sold in.
I always saw the AWD-only Ridgeline as more like a big Santa Cruz, a lifestyle pickup with no true base trim.
Funny thing is a Maverick Lariat EcoBoost AWD costs $37,200. The Ridgeline Sport AWD starts at $39,750. In a way, I guess the top-spec Maverick is a Ridgeline rival.
The problem with the Puma is Ford doesn't build it outside of Europe. This explains why it's only exported to a few countries outside Europe where it doesn't sell well due to high prices.
If Ford built the Puma in Mexico for North America and South America, and in Thailand for Asia-Pacific and South Africa, then they'd have a competitive subcompact crossover that's reasonably priced.
Based on the price, the Escape which starts at 31,635 (with destination) goes against the slightly larger CR-V ($30,100), the second best-selling compact SUV in the US behind the RAV4. The HR-V is a slightly smaller, lower priced alternative to the CR-V.
The US-spec HR-V starts at $25,100 (with destination)
This Sport trim starts at $28,550 (with destination).
The CR-V starts at $30,100 (with destination)
This EX trim starts at $32,350 (with destination)
Is it the Larry h. Miller located in Draper? That's who we've purchased our last few Ford's through. They are probably the most reasonable dealership I've ever had the pleasure of doing business with, so this seems very out of character for them. I would keep on it, and try to work things out.
It's factually true that Ford cannot compel dealers on a lot of issues due to state franchise laws - it's not just Ford - Toyota, Honda, etc. are experiencing the same dealer problems.
At the end of the day, you have to look at the dealer sales agreement before you sign it.
Robert