That was exactly the reason-the reason why the NA platforms went away for the C and CD series from the EU, which brought their own set of issues that Ford is dealing with today.    The only BOF platform that completely went away was the Ranger platform, which was going on almost 25 years without any major updates-I think the last platform update was like in 1989 and it was just sheetmetal and engine changes since then. The Crown Vic was replaced by the D3 and the Explorer (which was a close cousin to the Ranger in the early 2000s) moved to the D3 in 2010 then CD6.

I think the way that Ford is going to market the skunktruck is going to be a EV Crossover with a bed on it, and not a "true" truck.  Everything has been pointing to comparing to the RAV4 in interior space etc. 

Exactly!

Ford Racing’s WEC Hypercar Engine Roars to Life, Track Debut Set for Next Month

Congratulations! 🎉 When did you place your order?

Got my build date 8/24/26, lets see if that holds true

More like this, but modernized and made even sexier. You can see something, and don't worry, I won't share the screenshots again lol, but in the background of the Ford EV first impressions vid that looks like a hatch in terms of height. We can't see much, but you can see the shape of the front fender and how aggressively it angles down near the leading edge. It gives me modern vibes of this front end. Plus people who toured the skunkworks facility said there was a rally racing escort in the design studio for inspiration along with a shape under a tarp that looked like a hot hatch in terms of height and general shape.    Who knows. It could be just a classic case of Deluxe overanalyzing and having wishful thinking, but it's fun to think about. I don't see the point of doing another generic hatchback or sedan. But something fun that can be profitable to make and aligns with Ford's passion product ethos would be neat. 

I think that guy was full of shit. Yes it was originally more of like a Subaru Crosstrek design, but the design is why they changed course, not the performance. Basically everyone knew it was ugly, and wouldn't sell.    So Farley was the one who said pivot to make it a mustang. They restyled it and made it sexy, and then developed some performance models. Before it became the mach-e, it believe the plan was for it to be FWD, and it wasn't sporty at all, things like the gt trim didn't exist until after the rebrand.    It's also why unfortunately the mach-e platform has some performance limitations like reducing power after 5 seconds of full throttle. Because the platform wasn't designed to be used as a performance car initially, so it was compromising. 

Funny you mention that. I'd heard a story from a Ford trainer who came through my (now former) store when the Mustang Mach-E came out. He said that car started out to be an electric Focus rather than a Mustang. When they'd put together functioning prototypes and took them out on the test track, they realized they had way too much performance to call it a Focus. So, back to the drawing boards, restyled the body and "personality", and flipped it into a Mustang. I'm with you, a Focus hatch would be a winner at the right price point. Make it a true entry vehicle and it'd do well.

I have an Ooma Telo phone.....