Regardless of my past statements regarding not significant enough sheet metal changes,  I still think it’s a nice looking vehicle.  I just think the Navigator is too expensive. They came out with a cheaper variation, but it doesn’t seem to be moving the needle.  

I actually like the solution Ford used for the Maverick.  The two-position tailgate works and cost very little to implement.  Mid gates seem unnecessary and costly.  

There was something like this in one of the Fast and Furious movies. I think it was a custom manufacturer did sell to the public, but I don’t know the name. I do like this concept.  

Both, Mulally was all about ending what he saw as unnecessary duplication and he didn’t have to look too hard to find many examples. The problem was that his insistence of One Ford vehicles actually stunted Ford’s growth just as GM started hitting its strides again. The great BOF cull: Panthers, BOF Explorer and Ranger (seen as cheap transport) could all be  replaced by existing products for a recurring saving. Three plants and  their vehicle production were closed down and for the most part, not missed by anyone save for a few diehard fans.   Five seconds after Mulally retires and Fields is exploring RWD CD6 options, bringing back a Bronco and Ranger….   The thing is how Ford flip flops with changing regimes…    

Am I the only one that thinks mid gates are overrated? How much money is spent on engineering a mid gate, and how much extra does the manufacturing and parts for the mid gate cost? I think customers of these compact EV trucks would rather save a few thousand on price instead of including this feature that will rarely be used. 

Normally I would say it’s a bad idea. I’m all for sharing hard points and interior elements, but the front/rear should look distinct, especially since the aero look might be a hard sell. With that said, supposedly there are a lot of ex Tesla workers in the skunkworks and all the teslas look the same, so I’m guessing all of these vehicles will too.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/aston-martin-built-a-kickass-v12-military-suv-we-bet-no-one-saw-coming   Probably won't be built, they're saying it's a design study for future design ideas and for a video game. But I think it's neat. Something that goes way beyond the sort of vehicles we usually see with Aston.    Would make for a pretty cool luxury offroader if they brought a toned down one into production. 

It had Goggle Maps installed!

Yeah, the SUV is probably going to look like the truck just without the bed. It would be cool if they made it like a more swept back version of the 2nd gen Escape, which should be possible.

Gee, If you add up the missteps involving the Pinto, PAG,  Explorer/Firestone, EV's and the recalls, to name a few, I think a lot of us could have made better decisions!