Very good analysis, I think Ford is revelling in the confusing opinions 

When Ford announced the change in name to Tennessee Truck Plant, it Alamo announced  that the new vehicle would be an affordable gas powered truck    and yes, several times I’ve said that Ford’s idea of affordable is different to what many buyers think. Its their way of presenting premium prices that appear to be good value but only to particular buyers.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-plans-an-affordable-gas-powered-truck-thats-not-the-maverick-how-will-that-work   They've stated it's affordable. That being said, time will tell how affordable is affordable. 

The point of getting Ranger out of MAP would be to make more Bronco SUVs. 

https://www.motor1.com/news/793587/vw-id-unyx-09-debut/  

If I buy a mustang as a toy it's going to be a 70 boss 302 grabber blue with black stripes.   As for manuals I'll take a DCT over the automatic or manual.  Better performance than both and easier to drive in traffic.  And you still get to shift.  And I like manuals but I do not miss the clutch.

No one said the Tennessee truck will be affordable. Just midsize. 🤣   I'm fairly certain it will be a more expensive truck than Ranger.    Just look at the price difference between Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor to understand what Ford is thinking here. Ranger nameplate has an upper limit on what MSRP the market will support. The new truck (maybe it will be Bronco branded or not... who knows) will probably be hybrid or PHEV focused and will lean way more offroad-oriented than Ranger. 

Instead of ripping the bandaid off in one quick motion, GM continues down the dribbling path. As painful as it has been for Ford, at least they did it in one swift action. As Farley said, GM is pregnant with expensive large EVs that are selling poorly.

Since Zephyr is also C2 based in China along with Corsair and Nautilus, I am sure that "bringing it to US Standards and tested" is either already done, or should be able to breeze through it with relative ease....just looking at it from a timeline perspective