Valid points, but there's an argument to be made that what gave rise to the suv and trucks was the ever increasing need to carry more people and things. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was pretty common to see people who had like 4 kids and had a lot of stuff to haul around. They needed large, spacious vehicles. Materialism was also kinda at its peak, it was all about having a lot of stuff.    Whereas look at young buyers now. A lot of young people aren't having kids at all, and if they do, it's like 1 or 2 kids. There's also an emphasis on having less clutter and stuff with a lot of young people. So I'd argue that there really isn't a need for crossovers and trucks, particularly large ones, in the age of 1 or 2 kid families. I feel like a hatchback can meet most of their needs pretty well, and it does it while being more affordable, lower cost of ownership, better looking, and easier to live with.    Then there's the whole perception thing. Cars aren't just what people need, but what they want. It's often a case of what someone's needs are, and what types of vehicles they like. In the late 90s and early 2000s, crossovers were this new, hot, exciting thing. Having lifestyle SUVs and trucks was all the rage, and things like station wagons were seen as boring cars old people drove.    Now that's how a lot of young people see SUVs and trucks. Those are the types of vehicles they see as boring and undesirable. Whereas car form factors are cool and trendy again with them. So you pair where their needs are with how they perceive various vehicle types, and that's why I believe those types of silhouettes are gonna see a resurgence. 

I'll disagree on this-every manufacture has seen sedan sales shrink over the past 20 years, even ones that where profitable (i.e. Accord/Camry) or even luxury sedans for example.    But it is also a chicken and egg issue-if there was more sedans, would they sell more of them? That remains to be seen.   But its been pointed out for the past 30 years or so, customers will overbuy in a vehicle. Even going back to the 1990s when the Explorer was becoming very popular, Ford was still selling the Taurus wagon, which was roughly the same size and offered about the same interior space, but was far more refined, but sales shrunk as time went on.    if people actually bought what they needed, they would most likely buy smaller cars, but that hasn't been the case for a very long time. 

Funny you should mention the orange/white... it really is a pretty cool look. Again, retro with the right amount of current. I'd like to think on a Ford version, just a little more nose. Give it a little frunk for charging cords and such. Things like this are exactly why I go to the car show every year. Plus, getting to see some of the early release, pre-production, and new color things. I tend to wear my dealership shirts when I go, it's amusing to get mistaken for show staff in the Ford sections. Drives my wife a little nuts because I get drawn into conversations about the cars with random folks, then have to disclose that I work at a store in another state and I'm not actually "on duty". :)

Exactly, plus it would be multi purposed. A Ford van with styling very similar to this would appeal to commercial buyers for the reasons we mentioned. But it's also a much cooler looking van than any other van currently on sale, I actually saw one today with a burnt orange and white paint job and it's basically the only time I've seen a van and thought, damn that looks cool.    So something in that style would appeal to normal consumers and van life types as well who were drawn to the idea of a stylish, cool looking mini van beyond commerical buyers. 

That's fine and dandy, but Jimbo's statement will only be meaningful if and only if Ford launches those CE1 products with the sales volume mentioned, on time, with high quality.   Anything less ain't acceptable. No excuses Jimbo when Job 1 takes place!

I also respectfully disagree with your positions, but I see where you're coming from. The way I see it, is that unlike the mach-e or lightning platform, CE1 is designed to be used for a wide array of vehicles, they want to make a lot of different product using this platform.    But large vehicles are out, trucks used for heavy towing are out, boxy off-road vehicles with massive tires are probably out. Basically it's a platform for smaller, lower, aero efficient vehicles, and that sounds perfectly set up for hatchbacks and sedans. 

CE1 is the only hope Ford has to turn a profit on future affordable sedans and hatchbacks. Even then, CE1 based trucks and SUV would take priority over CE1 based sedans and hatchbacks as Ford has a much better brand reputation with the former.   So I respectfully disagree that bringing back sedans and other car forms would make a lot of sense for Ford. That ship has sailed and ain't comin' back to port.

It's the EPA doin' their thing confusing everybody. In another thread I posted this flowchart the big shot bureaucrats there use to distinguish Car SUV from Truck SUV:    

The issue with this is you guys are looking at current trends, whereas I'm looking at where the industry is going, because it's very important to do so with the industry.    Farley and other leaders have said the sales volume of sedans and hatchbacks played no role in them being discontinued, that in fact, they were extremely popular. The issue was they weren't profitable. They died for a variety of reasons, including unreasonable CAFE standards. But the market conditions that led to the termination of sedans were external, unnatural factors, not a massive drop off in demand for sedans by itself.    With CAFE standards relaxed, and CE1 coming, I see no reason why Ford wouldn't be able to find a way to turn a profit on future affordable sedans and hatchbacks. If Ford can find a way to turn a profit, and as they've stated, there's a lot of natural demand, bringing back sedans and other car forms would make a lot of sense. 

Wisconsin Rapids, WI, right about the middle of the state: $3.779 87 octane 10% ethanol $3.729 88 octane 15% ethanol $4.999 diesel