The 1978 Recall Fix: After a NHTSA investigation, Ford recalled 1.5 million Pintos and Mercury Bobcats. The fix included: Plastic Shields: Polyethylene shields were installed between the fuel tank and the differential to protect against punctures from protruding bolts. Fuel System Upgrades: A longer fuel filler neck, improved seals, and a stronger gas cap were added to prevent fuel from spilling during a collision. Resulting Safety: The combination of these modifications was considered the "best possible outcome" at the time, effectively reducing the risk of fuel tank rupture and subsequent fires to a level comparable with other subcompact cars of that era.    Why the Plastic Shield Succeeded: The plastic shields were effective because they addressed the specific mechanical failure of the Pinto: the fuel tank being driven into the sharp bolts of the differential during a rear-end impact. By acting as a buffer, the high-density plastic prevented these bolts from puncturing the metal tank, thereby stopping the rapid fuel leakage that typically led to fires. 

…without being nit picky you forgot VW Amorok that is built in South Africa alongside of the Ranger.   Ranger Supr Duty is intended as a Landcruiser pickup competitor, a very lucrative if small market in Australia That and plenty of mining companies here paying mechanics to install GVM upgrade kits, Ford saw this and thought huh, that’s probably worth money to larger fleet buyers…

Mercury existed as a line of vehicles for people who didn’t want to buy a Ford, and apparently, that got right up the nose of mister Mulally.   He saw the whole brand as unnecessary duplication with additional changes over just making more of the Ford version of the vehicles.   When you think about it, back then the various GM brands had become basically different trim options of the same basic vehicles with relatively light changes to bodywork and interior trims. That sort of thing worked well for GM managers when they would fill GM’s order books with products to sell and receive good bonuses. 

The Weather Channel is the only "organization" that names winter storms, not the NWS.   BTW, we topped out at about 13". The highest single storm total I have seen on my property was 21" on December 16-17 of 2020.

It was nothing more than a different style option.  Limited/Titanium Fords worked just as well.  Sucked for standalone LM dealers though.   It still makes me laugh that there are GMC buyers that swear they would never buy a Chevy.  

I would've kept Mercury They had just a little nicer interiors than a Ford and better option groups vs Fords. A Mercury Montclair version of the Flex would still be in showrooms as an alternative to the Explorer. At that time Lincoln was already homogenized into Fords with too much makeup and the premium feel just wasn't there. GM should have kept Saturn or Pontiac, as they had GM's youngest demographic. Buick was and is an old people's car (at 76 I'm still too young) and isn't aspirational anymore. I think Saturn especially might have been able to carry the water between Chevrolet and Cadillac.

The choice to discontinue Mercury was most likely made easier by GM having already phased out both Oldsmobile and Pontiac. The old-line medium price brands had been squeezed from both above and below for years.

Nope. Takes about a minute to activate and deactivate from the Ford app.   The constant reminders every time you start the car that your subscription will expire in X days for the final week is annoying though. 

You will not see Lincoln going away as it was Edsel's baby and as long as the Ford family controls Ford, Lincoln will have a place in the lineup. Ford management did convince the Ford family to shutter Mercury (created by Edsel) but I believe it was a lesser of two bad choices to cut one in order to save the other in the eyes of the Ford family. 

I just think there are a lot of untapped potential for more T6 derivatives and I would like to see Ford really lean into it.    So far, Ford has produced Ranger, Ranger HD, Dadao, Everest, and Bronco, and we are not exactly sure if Bronco EV is T6 or not.    What's missing... a cheaper truck and more expensive (Lincoln perhpas?) SUV. Production extension on both ends.   On the lower end, Ford has a pickup trucks covering the entry level price but only in China... I'm sure Farley has looked at how that could be incorporated into the next gen T6 product plan outside China.   From cheapest to most expensive: JMC Baodian JMC Yuhu JMC Dadao (basically VW Amarok but with JMC grille) Ford Ranger Ford Ranger HD Baodian and Yuhu are the same truck but Yuhu has less safety feature and stripped down to the basics. Dadao and Ranger are the same truck but just different badge. There is probably an opportunity to converge next gen Baodian/Yuhu on T6 and roll that truck out other markets.    On the higher end, Ranger HD is a solid development of T6 but too early to tell whether it will be successful. It is narrowly tailored to Australia of course but some of that hardware could easily be adopted for Everest or Lincoln SUV if Ford wants to push in that direction. The off-road capable lux SUV is one of the fastest growing segment right now and everyone from Audi to Genesis are working on their version of it to challenge Mercedes, Lexus, and Land Rover.