It is not only about price and Chinese government subsidies. There are also valid security concerns with the Chinese software embedded in these internet connected vehicles. There are legitimate concerns of per-positioned malware in Chinese products. Solar panels in Japan are currently being investigated for this same issue. 

I agree. Farley also did this with Tesla and developed a respectful relationship with Musk. This was an important factor with Ford being the first to gain access to the Tesla charging infrastructure.

Mach E did qualify for the $7500 commercial lease credit so Ford Credit could provide that as rebate to retail customers that leased.   It did not qualify for the full $7500 retail tax credit which required US final assembly and domestic battery sourcing.  

I’m  aware it’s higher cost, but does that $20k price reflect their actual cost or is it a result of most countries limiting import through tariffs or other means?  The Seagull’s price is so low in their own market that it would seem its volume is being limited by other governments.  Not sure how price ends up doubling, more or less.  I’ll have to see price once they have been manufactured in Brazil for a while, as an example, where some speculate price may drop from imported $20k to around $16k for Brazilian made.

Yeah, though other higher-cost Chinese models already have American counterparts to compete except on price, which can be handled with reasonable tariffs to offset their government incentives.  It’s when tariffs are so high that they essentially prevent any and all competition that the issue gets messy.  Anyway, my point remains that our manufacturers may not want super low cost electric vehicles in our market at all for fear of possible disruption.

I admire the hell out of his approach. He could stand there pounding his chest saying Ford is perfect, and none of their rivals can come close to them. But that mentality would only lead to Ford falling further behind.    Actually giving credit to your competition, and openly stating where your company needs to improve, how you can better your products and the way you develop them, that's how you win. We're so used to seeing these leaders lie, or hide stuff from us, Farley doing the opposite is a strength, not a weakness. 

By the way, in most export markets the BYD Seagull starts higher than $15K USD. An average starting price for the Seagull in South America is $20,000. In Europe the average starting price for the Seagull (where it's been renamed Dolphin Surf) is $26,000. In the Philippines the Seagull starts at under $16,000 because of the excise tax exemption for BEVs. BYD Seagull is roughly the size of a Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback, it's just a bit shorter in length and a tad wider and taller. PS: PHEV & eREV models of BYD are also responsible for the rapid growth of the Chinese brand.

Since Lightning is Ford’s only battery electric pickup, I assume the 2/3 reference may apply to it more than others, but we are guessing no matter what until Ford share information.  And if they offer a lower-cost bare-bones trim meant mostly to hit a certain price point for marketing purposes, I think 2/3 of Lightning would still be around 65 kWh IIRC, which isn’t that far off from a possible 50 kWh.   In one interview Farley stated that not everyone needs more than 300 miles of range, which makes me think that may be the upper limit or goal on range.  It would not surprise me at all if they go with two battery sizes, with smaller in 50~65 kWh capacity range and larger in 75~90 kWh range.    

It did in 2023 when we bought ours.  I think originally the Mach-E had the full $7500 credit, but it was cut in half to $3750 at some point.

I believe the leasing company gets the rebate and can pass it onto the customer....not sure how that works or how much they actually get.