Ram Wants the Rampage in America, but the CEO Sees a Big Problem - Autoblog Ram CEO Would 'Love' A Ford Maverick Rival—But Don't Hold Your Breath   While Kuniskis acknowledged that he would like to see the Rampage added to the U.S. lineup, he emphasized that interest alone does not guarantee it will happen. He pointed to internal market dynamics as a key factor, citing what he described as the “deprioritization” of the Ford Ranger due to the Maverick’s existence. “That shows you within that space there is a bit of cross-shopping between the two where the prices overlap,” he said.

One would have to imagine they'll benefit in multiple ways from this move.

Right, it would depend on how much you use it, and/or how long you keep your vehicle.   $2500/$50 is 50 months, and if you finance at 60 months, you're spreading it to $41.67 per month over that period to essentially to have it forever.   But, if you never plan on using it, I can understand not wanting to purchase it as a one time option.     Out of curiosity, has it been difficult to activate/deactivate it for that yearly trip?

Hyundai had been good about replacing the engines (there is no fix for this - the engine has to be replaced). But from what I'm hearing, as the problem has become more widespread, the company has begun taking a harder line on covering a complete engine replacement. 

Correct, the main learning from Powershift dry clutch transmission problem is that it should have not been an option in the first place.     The JV deal with Getrag was flawed from the out set. Ford engineers were given an impossible task, serious problems detected and not remedied in development must not be fixed on the fly in production.   The ridiculous part was that by the time Ford Europe struck the deal with Getrag, Ford’s JV with GM had already delivered a much better automatic transmission with similar fuel efficiency thanks to mid gear lockup that Ford Europe hadn’t factored in.   The 6F transmission became the solution to a problem that should’ve have never occurred. Introduced in 2015 ROW products, the fix transformed those vehicles but surprisingly, never came to North America

I think we could have guessed that.....   Nailed it   Listening to the bean counters and making sometimes ill informed financial decisions.   This is why the CEO has to mandate quality being most important so you don't make these tradeoffs.  

Australia is example of how some ROW markets have adapted to a market where Ford Europes products are either unavailable or uncompetitive.   The majority of sales are dominated by highly profitable Ranger and Everest, a handful of mustangs, Transits and Transit Customs.   Australia has had ultra low Sulfur diesel for many years but has just introduced ultra low Sulfur gasoline meaning that the latest euro 6d and similar gasoline vehicles can now be sold in Australia…….   No news from Ford regarding new models for Australia but Territory and Equator would be perfect fits for Australia 

I drive a 2012 Focus with a 5-speed manual transmission. And it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned.    For the life of me, I cannot understand why they stuck with this transaxle for so long. 5 years in they were much better. Dual clutch alternatives made by get drag at the time, or even a traditional 6-speed automatic, that eventually launched with the EcoBoost 1.0 in the fiesta and focus. The power shift Power shift issue I think is a great example of what Ford gets wrong, I think a bean counter calculated that the cost of canceling or restructuring the manufacturing contract with Getrag, was less costly than the damage to brand perception, and warranty claims. Which looking back at it was 100% wrong. Often in corporate structures like Ford the risk of decision making isn't shared, but dumped onto different silos.    For example, warranty costs are handled through a different division, handles the manufacturing costs so the decisions made in manufacturing directly impact warranty costs, but the decision makers do not bear the risks of their decisions, but share the benefits and bonuses of decreases or increases manufacturing costs.   Where was Ford's leadership, in this decision-making process? Since then, whenever Ford takes a massive write-off on a particular investment or product, can't help but think that this is a way for management to offload a bunch of bad decisions. Instead of taking responsibility for them.  

Air Suspension, I know my MKZ has electronic adjustable suspension, optional Revel Ultima stereo system, and you have the option of going to Black Label interior.  Maybe some insulation here and there, but there isn't much really.  I'm expecting auto enter/exit doors in the next generation of Lincolns, I keep looking at Lincoln China to see how it differs but I expect anything that is leading the market, to come from there.  

That would make it an Omni. Might buy one out of nostalgia; our first new car was an '82 (also 1st car w/AC [dlr inst.]).