Honda did exactly that with the civic, which would be considered an appliance, but it has a strong connection with buyers.  The way I see it, ford is going in the wrong direction by trying to avoid “commodity” vehicles. Commodity vehicles are not the problem, it’s ford inability to sell them at a profit that is the problem, something several automakers have figured out to do successfully. But ford can’t seem to cut costs without sacrificing quality, and when they sacrifice quality, you get a ton of recalls. And recalls don’t help with making that strong connection with buyers. 

Well, considering Mustang sales are down significantly, so I'd say people aren't happy with the changes vs. pricing equation.......     Well, they gave Bronco Sport a new grille insert and bigger screen and called it a day.  I know they added a Sasquatch package, but visually, not much changed.

Automakers DGAF about keeping cars affordable.   https://www.axios.com/2024/12/19/cars-prices-inflation-suvs   EVs were trending towards price parity as early as next year. Inevitably actions like this will delay but not stop EV price parity from happening within the next 3-5 years.   In the end this hurts the US automakers, making them less competitive, and profitable in the future. As their competition embraces low cost electric vehicles, and they cling on to increasingly expensive ICE platforms.

Maybe Ford needs to hire us BON guys! I'll do the job for $50,000  and no pension or medical plan is required. Send me an application Ford. To paraphrase an old Ford slogan, "Have you seen any intelligence at Ford lately?"  

The default priority code for retail orders is 19. Your Dealer must manually assign a lower priority code. Dealer assigned retail order priority codes can be as low as 03. My advice is that you not wait for or rely on emails from Ford. You should deal directly with the Salaes Manager, or individual responsible for managing their orders and let them know that you expect them to update you on status changes for your order. The Dealer has 24/7 access to the most recent order status including commodity issues. In addition, I would not rely on communications from a Sales Representative as they often are not experienced with the retail order process and don't have access to the order status updates. 

Correct, A lot of people can see what Ford is trying to do, wanting buyers to establish a strong connection with those vehicles, something you really can’t do with an appliance/white goods…   Not necessarily performance but more like nice overall package of all the things a buyer expects plus that nice feel.

Or at least as you mentioned, a much lower valued trim and sales mix than Ford was hoping for. Kind of like when they started selling enough Fusions to build at two plants and then, FRAP production line for Fusion seemed to end abruptly….

They’re not going after enthusiasts per se.  They’re just going after more buyers that are passionate about their vehicles and aren’t simply buying the cheapest thing they can find.  Go follow some Bronco Sport or Maverick groups or forums and you’ll see what I mean.

You’re focusing too much on history and changes.  Instead pretend you’re a buyer who doesn’t know all this history and inside info - how does the current Mustang compare with other similar vehicles?  Just because they killed Camaro and Charger it doesn’t mean there aren’t other options.  Germans have the performance but cost way more.  Asians can’t match the performance.   Yes there are lots of little things that are frustrating like deleting floor mats but show me anything else that can match Mustang on both price and performance.

Picked it up this afternoon, the 22nd, and am thrilled. The Black Agate Metallic paint and Mojave Dusk interior make quite a good looking package in my opinion. The bells and whistles are very foreign to me but I'll figure them out about the time the loan is paid off. It was subjected to a random audit which was a 16 mile test drive at the factory. Don't know if the audit includes anything else. The 24" tire/wheel combination is impressive. I feel as though the interior is wider as I sit behind the wheel. I've only driven about 30 miles but so far I like it. Hope my experience is not unique.   CJ Dave.