Just want to extend condolences to the loved ones of victims of the UPS plane crash in Kentucky. On a side note, one article stated a Ford plant was dangerously close to the crash.

GM and Nissan will beat Tesla on affordable price much before Ford does. Not that timing on who’s first is as important as having the best product.  IMO offering the most for the money will win long term.   On that subject, it has been reported lately that Tesla may manufacture the lower-cost Cybercab with a steering wheel and pedals.  Safety regulations may force Tesla to add steering wheel and pedals for human control.  Car may get a small back seat too.  If sold retail it could come in under $30K.

Tucson presently has a lot to offer buyers looking for basic transportation.  Good size, fairly economical and great warranty.  I especially like that the base engine is a 2.5L NA four coupled to an 8-speed auto.  Simple and low-cost yet functional.  However, article says Hyundai is taking Tucson further upmarket and will likely drop present powertrain in favor of HEV or PHEV only.  Should be interesting to follow how that affects sales.  If it were up to me I’d also keep present base powertrain to go with hybrids, at least until emissions regulations are revised and made stricter. 

I've actually said the same thing for years. The growing market share on non-tesla EVs, the market souring on Tesla in general, and Ford beating Tesla to the most important types of EVs, that being affordable ones for the masses, it's all very promising. I fully believe if ford nails these products, the specs are decent, they stay affordable, the styling is great, the reliable is class leading, then there's a real opportunity that they start to become an EV leader.    Decades from now as Tesla spirals down and Ford ramps up, I wouldn't be surprised if Ford outsold Tesla in terms of EVs. That's like a 20 year long term outlook and a bold theory but I stand behind it. 

For roughly half a century Ford has been indoctrinating everyone that their trucks are Built Ford Tough, or some version of that claim.  Ford’s truck reputation still has value that deserves protection.  Anyway, I’m sure they will price the kit/upgrade at a profitable cost/margin, but the underlying risk is that if these engines or any part of powertrain start to crater under high loads and other abuse, the damage they could cost Ford’s reputation may exceed the profits they could make on whatever number of these kits they end up selling.   By the way, we shouldn’t ignore Ford’s comment about benefiting from added transmission cooling, hence recommendation to go with 4K tow package.  It’s just one sign of higher demand on entire system.

Yea, the head honcho at Ford seems to be confident that the combination of declining prices of batteries and new manufacturing techniques developed at the skunkworks for its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform will enable Ford to achieve a $30k price point for its new small EV pickup truck. As rmc523 stated, I’m cautiously optimistic.   Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if in a couple years the company best known for bringing affordable EV to the masses is Ford? Not Tesla, not GM, not BYD?

2027 Hyundai Tucson Caught Testing in the U.S. With Bold New Design - Autoblog  

The general consensus within the maverick community is the hybrid is the one to get if you want bulletproof reliability. Pretty much the only selling point the Ecoboost has, especially now that the hybrid can come with AWD, is that additional power. So I can see some maverick owners who are power crazy opting for this package without much thought about long term reliability.    I wouldn't be surprised if this has a beefier transmission to handle the additional power, but even beefed up, the 8 speed is very iffy longevity wise compared to the hybrids e-cvt. I think a package like this only serves to call attention to the unique strengths of both powertrains. If you want a hot rod, the maverick can be one, and if you want a really reliable, efficient truck, the maverick can also be one, it's all about priorities. 

To be fair, while batteries are very expensive, the rest of an EV seems cheaper and easier to build than an ICE product. It was only a matter of time once battery prices started to come down until EVs started to uncut ICE products on price. 

Edge STs sold very well and people actually drove them fast.  Lots of folks opted for the 2.7 Turbo in the Nautilus.  You don’t have to track something to appreciate more power.