https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/pope-leo-xiv-custom-ford-explorer

The retreat from EVs continues:  https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/sk-lays-off-nearly-1000-workers-georgia-plant/7HHBFCCRO5EHHMYXXBFQCIFROI/

I always thought the Wildtrak was the best overall trim.  Maybe that's why I got one!  We've got one of the few Wildtrak 2-doors!

About time they added Sport mode.....never made sense why they'd "lock out" something like that when they already had it for other trims.   Interesting regarding the pricing.....unless it does offer the unique color interior (though I'd be surprised if they did that, as that's another color combo they'd have to offer).

I was just perusing the updated Bronco Order Guide and Price List. The Wildtrak Package is $205 more than adding each item on its own and doesn't appear to bring anything extra to the party by bundling. Also, it looks like Sport mode was very quietly added to the Badlands. Wasn't there on the 2025 models for sure.

So just playing around a bit with AI and a quick sketch I did. Not quite what I had in mind, this is a little less boxy and muscle car-ish than that I sketched up, but it does an ok job of illustrating what I'm talking about. A lot of utes don't work super well visually for one primary reason, they often aren't visually cohesive. What I mean by that is you'll have something like a boxy truck with an upright truck front end, but they try to put an coupe roofline on it, or going the other way, you'll have a fluid coupe design, and the rear of the cab will have the standard straight cab rear and bedside, and it just looks off (Modern ranchero renderings where it's just a mustang with a truck bed show what I'm talking about).   It would be really cool if you had a ute that from a distance, just looked like a well styled coupe, sleek lines and profile. You have no idea it's a truck until you walk around and see the bed opening. Kinda like how the cybertruck does it but imagine attractive coupe styling instead of looking like a triangle on wheels. A pretty fresh product that gives you the ability to have a great looking coupe with a more usable backseat, and the ability to haul a couch when you need to. Keep in mind as well if it was like the height of a mustang, maybe slightly taller, even with the angled roof, it wouldn't be hard to grab stuff out of the bed. If well executed, and offered for a decent price on CE1, a lot of us younger buyers would fall head over heels for such a vehicle. I know it's radical, but sometimes a radical product is what you need to excite people. 

The Chinese government heavily subsidises its products so you are not looking at a like for like comparison. We can both agree that Mexico and China’s Labor costs and benefits are significantly less than established costs in US based manufacturing.   Europe will be a sort of litmus test as some Chinese brands are looking to take over plants there and reconfigure for their products. They are basically following the path first set out by Japanese manufacturers, then Koreans. Rhe biggest preconception to overcome is that they are cheap and tatty, some areas lack engineering experience with avoiding problems learned years ago but they will get there.   The plan is clear, the snake will devour from the bottom and go after other affordable Japanese and Korean brands first while establishing a sales beach head. The domestic Euro brands will survive but wonder where a lot of their low end sales went…

The hope was to access South American markets by making it in Mexico but that door closed quickly.

Farley is one of those CEOs who likes to shoot the breeze with enthusiasts and I suspect this is another instance where people read way more into what he says than just some wish that these products were possible. The Falcon pickup was actually a half chassis.   Ford recently acquired a third production plant in Thailand, rumour is it will produce C2 product rather than Asia Pacific countries having to go to Ford Europe or North America. Short list would be Maverick, Bronco Sport or Chinese Territory.

I gotta admit, that green Mondeo rendering struck a cord with me. It looks fantastic! I would drive it.