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FWD EVs are less complex and Simpler to produce than RWD/AWD and are more Space Efficient.  FWD keeps all the high-value/high-voltage systems in the front of the vehicle, simplifying assembly and reducing cost.  MEB   MEB FWD

Interesting notes.....so basically they're going Saturn + Model T.  I still stand by my opinion that the price is too high for complete bare bones - sure you'll get some that are fine with that, but once you start tacking on normal things people are used to, pricing will quickly get into territory of existing vehicle options with many more features.       There are other, less obvious ways that Slate slashed the cost of manufacturing and development by doing things differently. It opted to make the truck’s exterior out of molded plastic, which Barman said saves costs on multiple fronts. First off, injection molding is cheaper than the conventional method of stamping sheets of metal into body panels.    And by having its factory spit out a single, uniform variant that buyers can trick out later on, the company aims to cut a lot of complexity out of its manufacturing process. It just needs to get very good at churning out the exact same vehicle over and over again. That will come in handy given that Slate is targeting 150,000 units of annual output about a year into production—a far higher volume than any U.S. EV startup has achieved, aside from Tesla.  “Every one we build is the same,” she said. “So as we produce those vehicles at scale, then it helps to keep our costs down.”

So the only supercar we know Ford is considering at the moment, and developing, is an off-road supercar. Farley has talked openly about the success of lambo and Porsche off-road supercars, but has also hinted about a road going Dakar truck. So we don't know if it's an actual supercar, or just another truck with supercar levels of power, hopefully it's the former, and not the later.  Ford trademarked the RS 200 name, so maybe that's the off-road supercar they're talking about.   There was also a open top 2 seater high performance car supposedly in development. That's what rumors claimed, back when there were hints that a thunderbird might make a comeback. This was apparently a more hardcore performance model than the s650, so cobra would be a pretty solid name for that. 

https://insideevs.com/features/758468/slate-ev-truck-cheap-20000/   Curious as to how well this is going to all pan out.    I also wonder how well Ford's CE1 pickup will compete with it-I'd expect the CE1 to be around 30-35K, but be larger and not be as bare bones. I'd expect the Slate to start off cheap but once you start adding options, it will be over 30K. I also wonder who will be responsible for installing them-Slate seems to be pushing a dealership less model and will be partnering with a 3rd party for repairs/service.    I'd venture to guess that Ford might be a better position overall due to it being an established player and its product not as barebones in the eyes of the customer. 

Well that makes sense and partly explains why the NG F-150 was delayed. 

Anything is possible I suppose.   If that's the case, I guess it'd be a "tweener" in the sense of something between Mustang but not to GT's level?  Otherwise why wouldn't they use the GT name for that type of thing?

Hopefully we'll see something soon, but I also would hate to see it too early in typical Ford fashion where they show something and then "oh, it won't be out for 2-3 years"......so on that line of thinking, a design concept or two would be better.     I've been reading the old book American Icon on Mulally's turnaround of Ford, and they took the exact opposite approach - invested heavily in new product.  It's just a shame that Ford's answer always seems to be pushing out and canceling when they should be pushing forward and maintaining cycles.     Yeah, I think we'd all feel different if the pruning was offset nearly immediately by an adjacent model (i.e. Edge being replaced by an "EdgEV" or something), but they always prune and then nothing and then wonder where the customers go.   Maverick has had great success.  I just can't understand why Ford isn't able to translate that success (namely the process) into other segments.     Transit Connect replacement perhaps?     My thought for some time was to just bring over the Zephyr and Evos and build them in Flat Rock to help with plant utilization to have indirect entrants in the segment.....and with lack of a better alternative, the Chinese Edge could've been imported too (even if I don't think it's the right form factor vs. our historical Edge, at least it'd be something).  Pricing could be kept to middle and upper trims to make ROI work.  Obviously with current international things going on, the importing path is a non-starter, which is where the Mustang 4-door (and Lincoln counterpart) make some sense.  

Next-Gen Ford EV Platform Will Have Its Own Architecture   “We simply made a decision to merge two of our electrical architectures into a common electrical architecture for use across many more vehicles, across all powertrain types, to have the connected digital experiences that have been so well received in products like the F-150, Mustang Mach-E and Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator, while many others in the industry are bringing the most advanced tech only to EVs,” Bergg added. “Now, future EVs AND vehicles like Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger and Transit will have those capabilities too.”

One thing to point out for better or worse is that the guy they're talking to WAS recently Ford Europe's old boss and is now VW's boss.  So he has seen both sides of the partnership now, which can either mean he's telling the truth that it was beneficial for both sides, OR.....he's talking from the VW side of things, and what didn't make sense numbers-wise from his perspective last week (figuratively speaking) at Ford now makes complete sense to him at VW this week, as VW is profiting from sharing the tech and making them for Ford.   Ford Of Europe Boss Martin Sander Resigns, Heads Back To VW     I have always viewed these VW-based models as stop gaps until Ford got its own in-house platform developed.  With CE1 on the horizon, I would have to assume that FoE also has access to CE1 for its own products (if not a few global ones) going forward, right?  So, IMO, why would they bother intertwining themselves more with VW for another 6-7 year product cycle times 2 more vehicles on what has been reported as an overpriced, underperforming platform, when they have their own shiny new in-house version nearly ready to go now??

Since it's Ford we're talking about, it's likely been canceled, revived, canceled again, and now will be out next week before it's canceled as the vehicles are rolling into the showroom lol.     I'd have to do a deeper dive into the numbers, but IIRC, Expedition had a fairly significant uptick with the 2018 model and its '22 MCE and has remained pretty steady since, IIRC.  Through the first few months of this year, it's been down because of the model changeover, but now we're seeing the 2025 models roll in with the new design and sales are going up.....imagine that, keeping a product fresh will result in higher sales.......who'd have thought???     Mach E has had more updates under the skin vs. exterior or interior.  Not much has changed design wise for it aside from the Rally version.  I know there are some minor changes to the '25, but they probably should've done a bit more.   I also think they should've done more on the Bronco Sport's refresh on the exterior, as I feel it doesn't have the same....design power?.....as the Bronco itself.  In other words, Bronco gets a pass/longer design cycle while still being fresh vs. the Bronco sport in the compact segment where buyers will be more fickle.  That said, maybe they want to keep the Bronco/Bronco Sport aligned design-wise so that one isn't ahead of the other with the overall theme?     Yeah, I've seen a couple shadow black painted tops at the dealer and on the road, and I'm jealous of them since that's what I originally ordered........BUT, I've very much enjoyed having the car vs. waiting for that top.     As others have said, Bronco (proper) is sort of it's own beast, though, and can survive on an extended timeline similar to Wrangler.  I'd push for 4/8 refresh/redesign, but they definitely shouldn't go more than 5/10.  The "beauty" of Bronco's design, though, is that they could probably give it new quarter panels all around fairly easily while retaining the same body and even doors to keep it fresh but keep costs down.  It'll be interesting to see where they go design-wise with it. The did give it the new digital gauge cluster (which it should've had to begin with) across the board and finally rear air vents for '25, but otherwise no updates.