Around NE Ohio, most cities seem to have Freightliner and International in their fleets. I see a few Western Stars also. The only Fords you see are F 350/450 dumps, F250 pickups, and Mavericks.

I'll admit that my market area is... weird. I'm in a farming town of 230 people, and we draw people from four small cities 20-30 minutes away from us. EV's aren't a factor here, but they were at my prior Ford store. Hybrids are a tough sell here, but we get the occassional person interested. We have a lot of people who won't buy a vehicle with a turbo. We also see a shocking number of flip phones and people who don't have an e-mail address. 😄  That said, it's tough when Ford puts the limits on configurations. Limiting the 2-liter in the Bronco Sport to the Badlands kept a lot of my buyers at both stores away from them, and actually pushed Maverick sales a bit. I've got customers who wouldn't buy the trim levels of truck they really wanted because they came stock with a moon roof that couldn't be deleted, and those who wouldn't buy above a Lariat because they couldn't get the 5-liter. That last one, Ford did just walk back, putting the Coyote back into all trim levels of the F-150. Still can't get one in an STX without getting the Lobo, a package that's drawn zero interest around me but I'm sure it's doing fine in other areas.

2026 Ford EcoBoost Lineup Recalled Over Improperly Manufactured Pistons   Ford Motor Company is recalling select 2026 Ford Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger models due to an issue with improperly manufactured pistons. The defect: in affected vehicles, the engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power. The hazards: an unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. Affected vehicles: select EcoBoost-powered 2026 Ford Bronco models built between February 16th, 2026 and April 14th, 2026, Explorer SUVs produced from February 20th, 2026 and April 18th, 2026, Mustang models built from March 31st, 2026 to April 9th, 2026, Ranger pickups produced between February 21st, 2026 and April 20th, 2026, and Bronco Sport crossovers built from February 20th, 2026 to April 22nd, 2026. Number of vehicles affected: 10,001 The fix: dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge.       2024-2026 Ford Mustang Recalled Over Wiring Harness Issue   Ford Motor Company is recalling select 2024-2026 Ford Mustang models over an issue with the wiring harness. The defect: in affected vehicles, the engine compartment wiring harness ground connections may fracture and result in a loss of drive power, or a loss of function in the windshield washing system, headlights, air conditioning, or engine cooling fan. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment," and 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems." The hazards: a loss of driver power increases the risk of a crash. In addition, a loss of headlight function or windshield washing system function can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition. Components: wiring harness Affected vehicles: select 2024-2026 Ford Mustang models produced between September 7th, 2022, and June 9th, 2026. Number of affected vehicles: 148,663 The fix: dealers will replace the engine compartment wiring harness ground terminals, free of charge.

It has always been restricted to Badlands, I mean more that you could get the 2.0L on a mere ST-Line Escape or XL Maverick until MY2027.    The Maverick is a mass market vehicle in large part driven by its hybrid powertrain. The market ever since Trump came in is pretty strong evidence to the contrary of what you are saying as well regarding mass market and hybrids. 

So far GM is still planning to eliminate CarPlay and Android Auto. Customer backlash continues to grow against that plan. Ford is playing this smart by continuing support for both.    I’m willing to bet GM ultimately will backtrack. For me it would be a deal breaker. 

I'm still lost as to why the Bronco Sport wouldn't move from 1.5L and 2.0L engines to 2.5L hybrid and 2.0L gas options. Dump the unloved 1.5L 3-pot EcoBoost, drop in the existing 2.5L hybrid system, and be happy with the fuel efficiency. Want to have gas options for more of the lineup? Great, 2.0L. Simplify that supply chain. Amen.   Not every 2027 will be dropping it, but we'll see it gone completely within the next year. I had to run the numbers on Tremor and High Lobo three times to be sure. Read over the pricing guide and order guide, and then built them in the real-world order system. Yep, legit significant price drop. If I get people coming in that want a gas Lariat, I'm going to point them to a Tremor or High Lobo. We're completely baffled by the dropping of the gas engine on XL and Lariat. It's almost like someone making decisions only gets input from select markets. The Maverick is a mass-market vehicle, and hybrid isn't optimal for a lot of the mass market... just like fully electric isn't optimal for many people... and diesel isn't optimal for many people.

No?   lol.

I thought they ditched the predator grills.

Ford Fathom Will Not Utilize Apple CarPlay Ultra   Alan Clarke, vice president of advanced vehicle projects at Ford, recently confirmed to GreenCars that the Ford Fathom will not launch with Apple CarPlay Ultra, which is news for a few notable reasons. Chiefly among them is the fact that the Fathom will launch with integrated Apple Maps - which will also be the case with other future models underpinned by the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform. The Ford Fathom will also offer both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, though this news came as a bit of a surprise to many, particularly following Ford's partnership with Google in developing its fairly new Digital Experience software. As for why Ford opted to go that route instead of partnering with Google once again, Clarke also explained that decision in this interview.

Not official, but something they're working on.....   Slate Electric Pickup High Roof Cargo Kit Work Van       Slate Auto has not officially detailed its cheapest enclosed work van yet. At a recent Portland ride-along event, Fleet Business Development and Government Sales Lead Christian Kreipke reportedly described a high-roof cargo topper in development for the compact electric pickup and presented it as a possible future retail option. Kreipke reportedly pegged the add-on at about $3,000, which would turn the pickup into a fully enclosed cargo hauler for trades and small businesses that might otherwise shop used panel vans. Slate has not confirmed the kit or any pricing on its consumer channels. The company is still publicly focused on preorders and its first customer deliveries, which it has previously targeted for late 2026.