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Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

caranddriver.com

11–20 of 183 posts

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#11
post #5

I really love the F-150 and it's size, but I don't need all the power it comes with and would love it to be a little more fuel efficient. I realize the coming hybrid model is going to be a fortune more than the non hybrid, but I am curious how expensive an all-electric model will be.

Why is sheer bigness something to love about it? They literally don’t fit in many people’s garages anymore, they are so big. Honestly, can you help me understand?

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#12
post #11
post #5

I really love the F-150 and it's size, but I don't need all the power it comes with and would love it to be a little more fuel efficient. I realize the coming hybrid model is going to be a fortune more than the non hybrid, but I am curious how expensive an all-electric model will be.

Why is sheer bigness something to love about it? They literally don’t fit in many people’s garages anymore, they are so big. Honestly, can you help me understand?

Go sit it one of them. Its like a throne. They are amazing. There is a reason they are the best selling vehicle.

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#13
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The CyberTruck starts at $39,900. Ford has to be in that ballpark to compete if they want to remain a going concern.

Just like the Model 3 is $35k ;)

They stopped offering the 35k model because most people opted for the SR+ at 38,800

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like the Model 3 is $35k ;)

They stopped offering the 35k model because most people opted for the SR+ at 38,800

Sure, but it wasn’t available at launch and now it doesn’t exist.

I don’t have much faith in the 40k Cybertruck being widely or readily available based on that. It’s not really a dig at Tesla. Ford makes an F-150 that costs less than $30k, but most sold outside of fleets are higher trims and packed with options.

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#16

The patterns only going to become more pronounced from here on out. My guess is that we’re going to See a electric bulbs style phase out of gasoline engines announced over the next two years. If I’m Ford or GM I’m gonna try and get my hands on some of that sweet sweet tesla speculation cash in the form of a buy out as quickly as possible. Solves the technology platform problems too. If VW couldn’t handle it, why do y…

I think you are more right than wrong in your prediction, but “over the next two years” seems so incredibly optimistic that I’m inclined to call it naïveté instead.

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#17

It seems like I’ve seen this movie before. A large automotive consortium puts out an optimistic press release announcing its full commitment to EVs https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086902_volkswagen-will... Then it turns out that the primary cost contributor to an EV is the cost of batteries. Automakers being relative nobodies on the lithium market, they are paying retail for it and passing the mark-ups to you,…

This so much sounds like all the PR stunt cars that renault put out. You literally have to lease a battery on top of the absurd prices, and you cannot get it changed for free, even when you lease it.

Which makes all their cars basically useless after a year of usage, because the batteries are embedded in their chassis.

Every time I compare European manufacturers to Tesla and Nissan, they are such a bad joke.

Nissan has so much experience with its Leaf models, and they are dirt cheap, repairable and they work. High-end spectrum buyers will buy an all-inclusive Tesla anyways, and they won't care as much about cheap repairability.

Teslas are sadly not made for repairs, so they aren't the right car for me :(

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#18
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like the Model 3 is $35k ;)

They stopped offering the 35k model because most people opted for the SR+ at 38,800

Because there was never a viable Tesla 35k car that made sense to buy.

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#19

Well, yeah. Any sane large car manufacturer knows that you have to make at least a good line of EVs in the near future, otherwise your company is dead. By the by, it’s generally believed that Ford poured money into Rivian with the plan to turn their vehicles into electric trucks.

There was going to be a 2022 Lincoln SUV based on the Rivian platform but that was canceled last year.

Re: Ford Makes $29B Commitment to Electric and Self-Driving Cars

#20
post #6

The patterns only going to become more pronounced from here on out. My guess is that we’re going to See a electric bulbs style phase out of gasoline engines announced over the next two years. If I’m Ford or GM I’m gonna try and get my hands on some of that sweet sweet tesla speculation cash in the form of a buy out as quickly as possible. Solves the technology platform problems too. If VW couldn’t handle it, why do y…

The chances that Tesla will buy out a legacy auto company are zero. It makes no sense. They are all saddled with crushing debt loads, dealer networks, and stranded assets. None of them have anything Tesla needs to become the largest car manufacturer in history by 2030.

There are so many more issues. They have lots of plants that Tesla doesn't need or want. Even worse, you can't close down those plants because of unions and politics. Tesla doesn't want unions in general.

Battery being the limiting factor means that having more ability to produce cars is basically useless.

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