And Bentley, Lamborghini... Bugatti, but they kind of gave that one away to Rimac.    VW is kind of a luxury conglomerate stuck with VW along with Skoda and Seat.

Dealerships where pocketing 10K markups and they still sold, which is the primary driver of the price increases. 

This. Ranger is contained by the very good F150 above and the very effective Maverick below. Ford had a dead set winner with Bronco but like Jeep the got super greedy chasing high  profit sales with an obviously rich trim mix. I wonder if there’s a way of adding more value and desirably with lower and mid models. Strong incentives are needed at the moment  to get the huge inventory moving but maybe subvent some of the problem with killer leases?

I know, I know, I've said that a lot 😆.

Of course. My thought process is when you're going for these radical areo designs that are nothing like your current products in terms of appearance, you really have to know what you're doing. You can lean into areo principles and create something that's really visually striking, as I hope is the case. Or you can pull a Ford three row, and create something very areo efficient, but hideous.    A well executed areo design would be something like this, just raised to make it more practical. Something that's areo efficient, and very unique, but in a good way. 

Sounds to me like something worth putting out a few design concepts for to test public reaction before just green lighting....

Doesn't have to be aero to look like “shit” to most people.  Cybertruck isn’t aero and still looks ugly to me.  Conversely some “blobs on wheels” (expect you’re thinking Tesla) sell better than others combined.  When it comes to business decisions, it is necessary to remain objective and de-emphasize personal preferences.   BEVs are a unique challenge because shape affects functional capabilities and therefore price to a much greater degree than ICEVs or HEVs.  Like you I hope new Fords are successful, however that’s achieved.

I guess Audi doesn't exist?  Or Porsche for that matter (on a different level, obviously).

Are they not related?  Demand supports higher prices, which then increases margins.  Question is where is the sustainable price/margin elasticity tradeoff that supports enough volume to make the whole thing profitable enough to pursue.  I don’t know what the answer is, but believe Ford is not interested in finding out.  They seem content to lose potential low-cost Ranger volume if a relatively small percentage of those buyers end up buying more expensive Rangers and F-150 xls.  I understand their strategy but fear that little by little that approach will lead to dwindling market share.  For now at least they are somewhat protected in that other manufacturers are not competing in that space.  Maybe high-enough demand for a plain and cheap fleet-focused single cab with 6-foot bed does not exist.  I think demand does exist at right price, but it has to be much below $35k; though I do not know how low a price Ford could achieve if only they would try.  Just a guess, but expect $30k if it were possible would get noticed.

Uh....s'cuse me...Chrysler is Jeep's "luxury" division...jus' sayin'