Go back and you’ll see Ford’s shifting opinion on buyer wants and needs regarding BEVs vs some degree of hybriding, HEV, PHEV or EREV.   At first Ford was sure that its EV strategy was sound, Lightning, Mach E and the three row BEV was in the pipeline. Then things started going off plan as projected sales didn’t eventuate, the three row was killed off, then Mach E and Lightning expectation wound back, then Lightning stopped but don’t worry, Ford has a plan B in place that will be a home run and now Ford is looking at replacing Lightning with EREV…..   The journey Ford has been with electrification is heavily driven by top down directions, I think it’s been a slow realisation that Bill Ford’s aspirations with full electrification are just unworkable and some sort of suite of vehicles in between is needed - back to what buyers actually want……   So yeah, I expect Ford will keep shifting the goal post until it has a vehicle plan that works ( enough buyers)

Have y’all watched any of the first drive videos? It’s amazing how little space there is inside the cabin for a vehicle that’s basically the same length as an expedition. The backseat looked downright miserable to sit in and the front seat wasn’t much better. IMO, space is part of the luxury equation. I don’t want to pay 100k+ and feel cramped. The use of cloth, the screens, and the minimalist design do not scream luxury either. And the trunk is ridiculously small. 

Nascar is an example.......sure a "Fusion" is on the track, but it's stickers.....     I found this....   https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/fias-neutered-2027-wrc-cars-look-ready-for-a-gta-heist/   The World Rally Championship is heading into uncharted territory for 2027, with a sweeping rules overhaul that will redefine what Rally1 cars look like and how they perform. Expect them to be less expensive, less powerful, and visually pared back when it comes to aerodynamics. Three early design studies have been released to preview the shift, and it’s clear the FIA’s designers drew inspiration from road-going models like the Audi RS3, Subaru WRX, and Porsche Macan EV. The resulting mashups look like they could have rolled straight out of a Gran Theft Auto garage. In a break from tradition, the regulations no longer require that Rally1 entries be based on production models. Instead, they define a reference volume that sets the limits for external body panels. This opens up much greater creative freedom for manufacturers to experiment with proportions and styling.   These were the examples shown:  

I wonder what the extra one is.

One has to wonder if they'll bother breaking out those figures...

Reminds me of my favorite joke.   Young game warden sees a man on the river with a bucket of fish and a pole.  Asks for his fishing license.  Man says he wasn't fishing.  He says these are my pet fish I bring them to the river twice a week for exercise.  I dump them in, wait 5 minutes and when I whistle they jump back in the bucket.   Game Warden says no way.  Guy says let me prove it to you and if I'm wrong you can give me the ticket.  Warden says ok.   The guy dumps out the fish and sits on the bucket.  After 5 minutes the warden says "well?"   "Well what?"   "Aren't you going to call your fish?"   "What fish?"

I think there are different classes but not sure either.

No reason to choose a sedan over a hatchback or utility other than price in this type of vehicle.  A high performance sedan is a different story but that's a different class.

Those people don't understand the purpose. They're not meant for normal shifting.  You use them when you want to hold a lower gear for passing or hitting the twisties.  And high rpm downshifts sound fantastic.

https://fordauthority.com/2026/10/ford-ceo-jim-farley-says-six-affordable-vehicles-in-development/