"Mid-$20000 range" is VERY loose. Technically, $20000.01 to $29999.98 is "mid-$20000 range". Let's assume a standard base model comes in at $25k. OK, that's great, I'm much more interested in the rest of the story. Other than the folks who are fine with manual windows/locks/etc*, how much for one a normal person would actually want to own?   *There's plenty out there. I see them frequently. Precisely zero of the ones I see have any interest in any vehicle that doesn't have a gas motor.

Slate Wants $300 From EV Truck Buyers Before Revealing The Final Price - Autoblog   Slate Auto has officially announced it will open its order books on June 24 for its highly anticipated electric pickup truck. However, the ambitious EV startup is asking buyers to commit real money before knowing the exact final sticker price, a Slate Forums post reveals. The company currently promises a starting price in the mid-$20,000 range, with the official pricing numbers dropping on the same day orders go live.   This next phase requires customers to submit a $300 non-refundable deposit, though existing reservation holders can credit their initial $50 fee toward the total. More than 160,000 eager hand-raisers will have a strict 30-day window to lock in their priority delivery slots. This transition marks the latest chapter in a wild four-year journey for a company whose initial target was upended by shifting federal tax credit policies.

I thought a lot about this because of how oddly unappealing I find the Mach E, and also Stellantis’s recent investor day. The super curvy styling on compact and larger crossovers kinda sucks! Because of the extra height you inevitably make a sleek design look fat and blobby, I am not sure it really works outside of (hyperbole) the Ferrari Purosangue. If you want to do a real fastback design it has to in my opinion be some sort of subcompact, borderline a lifted hatchback like the Subaru Crosstrek or what the Chrysler Arrow (rebadged Fiat Grizzly) will be. Those cars are small enough to avoid becoming a blob with the sleek and curvy design (although I will note that neither are actually that curvy and are pretty angular anyway!)  

You can get a Maverick w/ a bed cover or wait for them to bring back the hybrid explorer. I also think that charging infrastructure is at a tipping point of being plentiful enough.

Good news for their 3 dealers left in the country 

With our snowbirding lifestyle (no plug-in capability at the condo) a BEV just doesn’t work for us but the Escape PHEV is perfect. I hope ford will have something for us when it is time to replace the 2023 Escape. Even a conventional HEV would be okay.

I understand what you're saying, but 2 thoughts here:   1) you keep posting this same rendering that just looks like a slightly squished Mach E/isn't differentiated enough IMO 2) The curvy styling in the segment seems risky.     It's worth noting that the competition has "boxed out" their products too - Rav 4 now has a blocky front end and more chunky styling elements.  CR-V has also gained a squarer front end.     I'd advocate pulling styling cues from Explorer before I'd push Mach-E styling.

I actually think a more square and planted (not necessarily a full box, but squared like the current Explorer’s form with a lower hood height) is clearly the way to go. I like my 2022 Escape but I think the attempt to just make Fusion and Focus buyers go to the Escape is a total failure. If people want a more sedan-like car, they should just buy a sedan or Ford should make a cheap fastback hatch/subcompact crossover.

I wonder what they'll do differently with the styling to make the escape more appealing again. I've heard some say make it boxy like the BS. With rumors that the mach-e is gonna become an ICE crossover, I kinda wanna see a crossover with evolved mach-e styling cues that's an in-betweener, smaller than the current mach-e, maybe a little longer than the current escape. Something that retains a similar look,and remains an EV so mach-e buyers who want to stick with an EV have something that appeals to them. But escape buyers also have something sleeker and sportier than the current escape that's worth buying.    Maybe ditch the mustang branding, ignore the mustang logo in this rendering lol. But a CE1 crossover like this would be awesome. people can buy a boxy utility like the BS if they want, or a sleeker coupe cross. 

I figure initial quality will have bumps at first which is more or less fine as long as its ‘worth it’ like Rivian. It is quite a gamble for Ford but a good one.    I will say that after driving the new Bolt, its totally baffling to me that GM shows no outward signs of continuing their previous plan to have a whole family of Bolt-esq vehicles. Unless GM just couldn’t figure out the LFP supply chain I really don’t get why they aren’t leaning into the Bolt harder. They’d be the #1 EV manufacturer in America and really be able to hit a good balance between the sort of traditional autos we are used to with the new electric and software capabilities EVs offer.