I get it 100%   In the MKZ group on Facebook I have argued with several people who claim their MKZ is a Black Label because it has black rims, no joke.  I have even pointed out using the brochure to show them the black rims they have are optional on the Reserve.  I had one guy argue back saying his 2020 is 100% a Black Label because his Lincoln app says to service at his nearest Black Label dealership.  I explained very carefully that his car is NOT a Black Label they stopped making the BL MKZ in 2018, he has the jet appearance package which blacks out the rims and grill that's it and the app is just advertising that his dealership sells BLs but that his car is in fact NOT a BL.  He still said I was wrong and what I said makes no sense lol.

Something interesting I've thought about, you can see in this areo graphic, the cab is massive, the rear of it is pushed really far back. That makes the airflow pass more cleanly over the bed, which is something they talked about, but that also makes the bed look really small, like a 4 ft box or even smaller.    But what if the back of the cab is further forward and that piece extending really far back is an areo addition that improves airflow over the bed while being recessed on the inside to give you more space? Like the rear of this big rig cab.    With how innovative the aero is, I wouldn't be too surprised.     

If they can keep the price around 30k that would be huge

What about concept names?   Ford GT90 Ford/Lincoln Futura Ford Interceptor  Lincoln Machete  Lincoln Sentinel Lincoln Navicross Mercury Meta One Mercury Messenger Mercury L'Attitude (A raised Sable wagon with a SHO V8 I remember this concept and wished they made it)  

Ford's market share in 2019 was 14.1%, in 2025 it dropped to 13.2%. Ford's global market share in 2019 was 5.9%, in 2025 it dropped to 4.7%.

Volume is important but it's not everything.  You can make just as much money selling half as many vehicles if your margin is 8% vs 4%.  And to get that much global volume Rav4 uses 7 different assembly plants in 4 countries while Ford only has 3 in the US.  Neither is right or wrong just different and each company is in a different position based on their strengths and weaknesses.     Ford only abandoned Edge and Escape temporarily to fund new EVs.  There are replacements in the works along with the new affordable EVs and a new line of pickups plus at least one new car.  The new ones should be way more cost effective compared to the old ones.

I'd bet this is one of the reasons the new F150 was delayed.  They'll be using the same principals on electrical for the new F150.  Maybe not the universal platform ideas.  But other savings would only make sense.

Autoline's summary:   Ford dropped a video about its upcoming low-cost EV platform, and it’s truly a game-changer for the company. That video has a ton of details, so here’s some of the highlights. – It’s going to 48-volts! The platform uses a 48 volt zonal architecture with only 5 main computer modules. – That took out 4,000 feet and 22 pounds of wiring compared to its Gen 1 EVs. – Its uni-castings are 27% lighter than competitors castings and eliminate 146 parts compared to a Maverick, with 25% fewer fasteners. – Ex-Formula One aerodynamicists were brought in, working on things like shallow bolt holes on the undercarriage and designing it so the wake coming off the front tires goes directly to the rear tires to reduce turbulence, resulting in another four-and-a-half miles of range. – Even the mirrors were redesigned for better air flow, adding another 1.5 miles of range. – And by enhancing the regen braking, the team cut the cost of the battery pack by $100. Alan Clark, who led the development of this platform, says the team took a true systems engineering approach to maximize the efficiency of the platform. Ford says the first model to use all this will be an electric mid-size pickup priced around $30,000 that will go into production next year. And Autoforecastr Solutions reports it will be called the Maverick EV. We’ve got a link to Ford’s video in today’s transcript because we think anyone working on EVs or pickups is going to want to watch this and take notes.

Plus take that over the life of the platform.  I suspect CE-1 will last several years.