Well, it’s pretty evident I don’t agree with it.  I’m being lazy at the moment to confirm this, but there aren’t any Ford plants that are running at 100% capacity correct?   Didn’t they just build a massive factory with nothing to put into it?  Ford is the absolute worst at long term planning.  It’s like it’s being run by a bunch of children that react to the latest shiny new toy, yet nobody is ever held responsible for wrong decisions.  

If they could generate a profit off the Maverick, I cannot see why they cannot do it with the Escape.  Regardless whether the Maverick has a lot of competition, it is a compelling product.  If you build a compelling product it will sell well and not need a ton of incentives. The Escape was hobbled by plain styling and questionable interior and drivetrain choices, which impacted its sales.  It went from 307k sales in 2016 to around 140k this past year. Those sales were close to the segment leaders in 2016. 2020 is when the Escape lost its appeal and thus a ton of sales. That was on Ford.  They could have solved this problem but they quit. 

I’m in the Midwest, primarily Iowa and Illinois, along the I80 corridor.  Ford had not provided the NACS adapter by the time I turned the MME in, so I was never able to utilize the Tesla chargers.  Because I turned the MME in, I haven’t been trying to find new chargers but on the well traveled routes, I haven’t seen anything new. There may be more new ones, but I just haven’t seen them.  

I think the truth is much simpler, Ford is done expending lots of funds and resources to get what it considers merger returns and Ford has definitely made product decisions that come down an either/or choice, replacing the products it no longer supports.   Originally these decisions came with a confidence that buyers would migrate from cars to Utilities meaning no lost sales. When that didn’t happen, the claim was that higher transaction prices were the point. When those vehicles were used up, they are now replaced the the next new things…coming with a similar message but as a promise of increased profits …….we will see.   Decision on OAC go back years, it’s like watching the proverbial dog with a block of ice that’s literally more than five years in the making…   Originally, CD4 Edge/Nautilus were to be replaced by CD6 RWD version but that was cancelled late in development and CD4 was warmed over  as a “get through” until the now cancelled GE2 3-row Utilities were ready. Then Ford gets the brilliant idea to produce Super Duty at OAC but then Tariffs became a problem and the whole show turns into another fiasco…. In the end, it would have been less disruptive to have  rolled production to four new C2 products: - Ford Equator as new Edge and Nautilus - Ford Territory as new Escape and Corsair   most of these are already developed as are hybrids and either PHEV or EREV depending on battery size.  

It’s a shame that the REVC couldn’t do both, keep on building Lightning with all the TE3 drive and battery upgrades plus making the EREV F150 Think about that, F150 would then cover all options from straight ICE to hybrid to EREV to BEV. and all of them safely tucked under the wing of F150 program.

Makes me wonder if flooding owners with recalls is actually destroying the importance of critical ones.

The next 18-24 months are gonna get interesting in the EV world. 

The new drive concept | Volkswagen Newsroom New Platform Highlights   Lower Weight- Starting at 3300lbs Low Cost < 25 Euros New APP290 Motor (120-230HP) New in-house inverter Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo. Batteries 52KWh NMC and 37KWh LFP made in Europe   Early Review https://youtu.be/NP635Rk3T3M?si=XCPLqJHEO9tinaUV      

The Volkswagen ID. Polo Is A 280-Mile, Sub-$30,000 EV For The Masses The all-new ID. Polo - Covered Drive & Design Workshop | Volkswagen Newsroom   New GEN 2MEB interior   Chasis MEB+  

And finding the old ones now and understanding those issues helps to eliminate the same problems with new models going forward and helps to learn from their mistakes. At least in theory.