I put a lot of Ford’s problems down to the increased outsourcing to suppliers, so many parts now controlled by computer chips and software owned by suppliers - that extra level of complication has significantly increased  costs and painted Ford into a corner where it has to increase prices of drop under performing vehicles.   Somewhere along the line Ford gave up on how to build efficient low cost vehicles that could turn a decent profit. or did they ever do that? Just making vehicles so that dealers had something to service and a potential return customer and future sales to other family members…   People wonder why Ford keeps cutting vehicles but I think the truth is Ford would rather invest the money elsewhere. Its a sad state of affairs but maybe the reality is that the company can get the same return by doing less.

C2 unit cost is high relative to the competitor because Ford's volume is tiny compare to Toyota, Hyundai, or BYD. This is the legacy of 2 decades of continuous shrinking. As a result, Ford now doesn't have the economy of scale to compete in the biggest vehicles segments on a worldwide basis even with a state of the art worldwide common architecture like C2. What's the point of C2 if it is still "too expensive"?    Ford is like a petrol-state with failed economy... too much reliance on a singular source of revenue so the economy failed to develop a diversified industrial base.  Ford's crude oil is F-150 which is propped up by structural advantages in the US like Chicken Tax and Sec179 depreciation. Instead of being like Norway where petrol profit is invested for the future, Ford has turned into Nigeria where it is incapable of delivering content and cost competitive products. I really hope UEV or CE1 is everything Farley says it is because it maybe the end of the road for Ford as a major car company if it doesn't deliver. What is being said about UEV is also what was being said about C2 and CD6 less than a decade ago... and what Mularlly said about OneFord before. We've seen this movie before... it ends in Ford cutting models, withdrawing from markets, and playing the we can't compete card. 

And people often forget that C2 itself is an evolution of C1 which began in 2004 in Europe. Larger vehicles using EUCD were regarded as C1+ because they used a lot of shared power train, suspension and construction modules.   The best part of C2 is its maturity of design and adaptability to modern requirements, being able to build vehicles from small compacts to large mid-sized utilities and cars gives Ford one of the broadest product envelopes it ever had.

Well, you also only get to decades of being build with only minor changes by actually sticking with something and not starting over every X years....   That's what I was getting at - it seemed C2 was finally that platform that could underpin several smaller models for a few decades, and now they're working on something else.

Sure there is.  EREV = EV with ICE generator (doesn't power the wheels directly), HEV = ICE + EV power, both can power the wheels.   I think the biggest hurdle for Lightning (and EV trucks in general) is the range, or lack thereof, and long charging times that magnify range issues, especially when performing typical truck duties (towing, etc).   If an EREV can eliminate those issues by giving longer range with an on-board generator, which simultaneously largely (if not completely) eliminates charging issues, why would customers not accept it?   Remember, Ford was able to transition most "entrenched" to the twin-turbo V6s because buyers saw the value.  Granted that's a lesser step as TTV6/V8 are both ICE, but the point is that if customers see the benefit of a new powertrain, they'll go for it.  Customers have been wary of EV truck efforts so far because the equivalent capability isn't where the market wants them.   I'm optimistic, but It'll be on Ford to market it properly and make sure people know what it has and can do.

I saw one of these on a trailer over the weekend, and it looks as bad in person as the photos.

For as many recalls as Ford has had, they're still right in the middle of the pack.   Kudos to GM doing well with all 4 brands.

Well, C2 has been around since 2018....but while Toyota gets a pass for using chassis designs with minor updates, when Ford does it....Fox to SN95, Panther updated several times, etc...they get beat up over it. C2 will likely be around for at least another 10 years unless CE1 can be modified to become hybrid and ICE powered....kinda like when GE1 was developed from C2 for use in Mach E.

Price

I think that EREVs will be disappointing for consumers.  There isn't enough clarity on the difference between EREV and HEV, combined with the "entrenched" mindset of the Pickup buyers, I can see how a product like this won't meet customer expectations