Maybe Ford never intended to produce and sell a ton of Mavericks?

[LSchicago]

They flat out don't have and still can't get enough parts and materials to build as many Mavericks as they want or could sell. Things have permanently changed since the worldwide economic shutdowns from COVID over-reactions. Many whole auto supporting industries are gone for good. Matching every custom order to a completed vehicle in a timely fashion isn't possible.

The days of inventory on lots is gone and not coming back because they were losing several thousand $ per vehicle through extra costs to build and store them, then having to offer big incentives to get rid of long-lasting inventory on lots. According to Farley they need to cut several thousand $ of costs from each vehicle produced to be competitive and they plan to stick to a build to order model as the major driver of the savings.

They actually can get more parts, and this is why they are adding a 3rd shift specifically to increase Maverick production starting in July. Extra capacity is coming!

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[Chicolini]

I always thought that the Maverick was a loss leader in the XL and maybe XLT trims.

I have had F150s for decades, for hauling boats, hay and cattle. I got the Maverick so I don't wear out the F150. Full sized pickups are now so expensive, while the Mavericks cost half as much and get much better fuel mileage.

Another post mentioned that a friend wanted a Maverick but bought a Ranger because he could not wait for the Maverick. I think this is part of Ford's "plan".

 

[Old Ranchero]

They actually can get more parts, and this is why they are adding a 3rd shift specifically to increase Maverick production starting in July. Extra capacity is coming!

Agreed, more parts and more shifts= more trucks. But that is still limited to increasing speed of filling the ~87k orders they have for the year, not more orders or as many as they want in a best case

 

[zf1]

I think this was a strategical move by Ford - and a very good one in that - to defend its truck market.

We all know that Ford makes a lot of money from its (large) trucks.
We also know that trucks were getting more and more expensive, pricing more and more customers out the truck segment completely, so there was/is an ever increasing number of customers who would like to buy a truck (even if a smaller one), but just can't afford it currently.

This means that there was a risk, that a new player could enter the truck market and produce a smaller and cheaper (and likely less profitable) truck, capture the customers who can't afford Ford's large trucks anymore and then eventually upsell them unto larger trucks down the line and so eat away from Ford's very profitable large truck segment.

The best way to prevent this is for Ford itself to come out with a small truck (but with low production numbers, so it is not too much of a competition for its own more profitable trucks). This is just to "scare" other competitors away from that segment, because if any would try to enter that segment, then Ford could just ramp up its production numbers in its production and kill that competitor's attempt to capture that segment by overproducing the competitor with its now more mature small truck.

This would explain why the low production figures and why the low (potentially unprofitable) price point. They all serve the purpose to protect its very profitable large truck business.

 

[LSchicago]

Agreed, more parts and more shifts= more trucks. But that is still limited to increasing speed of filling the ~87k orders they have for the year, not more orders or as many as they want in a best case

2024 model year should be sitting well. Prices should fall by by mid model year, and people will quit buying for resale. The 87K orders shouldn't be an issue this year, as long as Hybrid capacity is increased how it's supposed to. They made more than that last year.

 

[Maverickent]

Here's an article on the current market. It's not sustainable and Ford knows that. The Maverick gives them a play in the sub-25K market and an affordable play in the well-optioned tier.

https://thehill.com/business/3934301-new-cars-have-become-luxury-items/

I can't see myself ever paying more for a car than I paid for my house, even after 43 years of inflation and market appreciation, It's just a psychological thresh$

Here's an article on the current market. It's not sustainable and Ford knows that. The Maverick gives them a play in the sub-25K market and an affordable play in the well-optioned tier.

https://thehill.com/business/3934301-new-cars-have-become-luxury-items/

I can't see myself ever paying more for a car than I paid for my house, even after 43 years of inflation and market appreciation, It's just a psychological threshold I can't cross. I don't understand how people can deal with car payments that rival mortgages and rent payments.

Here in northern Iowa, I see a hell of a lot of $50k-$78k Silverados, Rams and f150s and HDs. I always wonder what those owners do for a living (of course many of them are farmers). It's common to see a woman driving a brand new 2500 Chevy 4X4 LTZ. Where do these people work? and they also likely have a 5000 square ft building to keep it in. But good for them tho.

 

[skadizzle]

It's a good thing you didn't buy a Ranger crew cab, they have less leg room than the Maverick in the rear.

Yeah that's what I hear. Same with the Tacos. There wouldn't even be a reason for a crew cab if it got any tighter.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

I had a conversation with my Toyota salesman yesterday. Told him I wanted a Corolla Cros with NO sunroof, NO automated hatch door and NO All Wheel Drive. FRONT DRIVE ONLY. I live in Northeast Iowa. SNOW!!
I have had two SAABs, a Citation, a Sentra, a Civic, a Vibe and a Camry. All Front drive only. Only been stuck one time, my fault, should not have been where I was.
I do not need the extra weight, parts and lower MPG of the half assed rear wheel drive. He said there were only 7 Front drive only Corolla Cross within 500 miles and all had sunroof and powered hatch.
I told him, find a Front Drive Cross withou the "convenience" package. He said it might be a long wait. I told him that I had the Maverick on order, so I was used to waiting.
First come, first sold. Shit or get off the pot.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Nothing around the price range that can do this without buying extra racks or accessories

 

[Old Ranchero]

Escape is built alongside its cousin, Lincoln Corsair, at Louisville Assembly, just outside of Louisville International Airport.

Nothing has been announced for ending Escape production. The 2023 refresh for those models is just now arriving on dealer lots and likely will be around for at least a few years. Edge is going away soon and Oakville Assembly will be converted to a BEV plant.

here's the Farley announcement about cancelling 2 row SUVs;

Ford CEO Farley Says Two Row ICE Crossovers Going Away (fordauthority.com)

... Over the past couple of years, Ford CEO Jim Farley has clearly outlined the automaker’s future direction, and it’s one that will include a rather sharp shift toward electrification. However, FoMoCo isn’t exiting the ICE business anytime soon, but does plan on reinventing that lineup by focusing on passion brands and exiting slow-selling or low-margin segments, much in the way it stopped selling sedans in the U.S. years ago. However, the Ford CEO provided even more clarity on this matter during the automaker’s recent earnings call by noting that The Blue Oval won’t be making and selling ICE-powered two-row crossovers in the future, too. ...

...“So I’m very optimistic about our eight percent because we are not going to be playing in the two-row commodity crossover market because that’s – because Ford’s tried that in the ICE business and it didn’t really work out for us,” Farley said when asked about the company’s profit margin target. “We want to play our hand, our strength, commercial, truck, larger vehicles on the category side.”

These comments make quite a bit of sense given the fact that Farley previously stated that the Ford Escape is facing cancellation, while a recently released product road map shows the ICE crossover being replaced by an all-electric version in 2026. Additionally, as Ford Authority reported over a year ago, both the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus are set to be discontinued after the 2023 model year....

 

[Scupking]

They knew they would sell a lot. Problem was supply chain issues because of Covid. It hit every manufacturer. Still is an issue. Probably won’t get back to normal until 2025.

 

[Hoagus]

All these opinions remind me of the story about the blind men describing an elephant.

Maybe we should ask ChatGPT.

 

[inthecabin]

I think Ford didn’t realize that “hey I’m in the sunset of my life” type people. It’s easy on the bones for ingress and egress plus very economical for retirees with added features that is not available otherwise for the price point. Very appealing for us old folks.

 

[shark978]

this seems like a place to ask, is it actually possible to order a Maverick right now?

I mean on the build and price Maverick Ford website, I believe you can go through the steps, it just directs you to a dealer. So I was under the impression for the past few months, that you COULD order a Maverick, you just had to do it through a dealer. Then I saw a YT a few days ago that mentioned otherwise.

So to get it 100% straight, there is NO way to custom/MSRP/factory order a Mav currently, and outside of when the "order banks" are open (which was last in Sep 22)?

 

[BoricuaBeautyx]

Just got to thinking about this... If you have noticed, almost all mainstream car makers have gone to pushing trucks and SUV's. The American makes have all but almost completely dropped making sedans and small " cheap " cars.

They say that sedans and cheap little cars just didn't have much demand, and I am sure there is some truth to that, as most people would prefer to have a more useful SUV platform over a typical sedan layout.

But I believe the car makers see that the big money is in making trucks and SUV's. There is crazy high profits in F150's and Superduty's... Same with nearly all SUV's. Not so much in small cheap sedans and hatchbacks.

So I got to thinking.... There is no way Ford didn't know the maverick would be popular. Why wouldn't it be popular? It offers seating for 5 like any sedan or smaller SUV, and coupled with a hybrid drivetrain it would offer MPG ratings that are only beaten by a handful of other hybrids, and especially in the XL and XLT trims... it is very affordably priced.

Perhaps they knew all along it would be very popular, but the idea was to just simply get people interested and into a Ford dealer... Where they could be possibly tempted into something else like a Ranger or F150 or Explorer, where Ford can make a healthy profit.

Otherwise if this isn't the case, why have they not tooled up for more production? The F150 has been the number 1 best selling vehicle in the country for a long long time, and even through covid, the dealers always had at least a few new F150's on the lot. Now a days there is plenty of new F150's on the lot to choose from, some with rebates and incentives. No one would need to order a F150 and wait months or even a year for it to possibly come in. If Ford can build that many F150's, there is no reason they couldn't build Mavericks at the rate needed to meet demand.

I called my dealer the other day to see if my salesman knew anything I didn't know about the status of my order... He said they have gotten about 20 mavericks in out of a little over 300 orders placed in Sept. At this rate, there is no way all 300+ orders get fulfilled. And I don't think Ford cares. I think they figure we will decide to " upgrade " to a F150 or ranger or decide instead to get a escape or bronco sport or explorer or some other more profitable vehicle.

Although I love driving my dad's F150 Lariat even with my Maverick, I still prefer my Maverick. I HATE parking the F150 in tight spots. I can, but it just sucks, especially in a parking garage. But, with my Maverick, I can zoom by quicker, make tighter turns, and park easier. It's still a pick up truck so I still have to turn wide in some areas, but nowhere near what I have to do in the F150. I would get an F150, but definitely not for many years. I would get a Taco or a Ranger before I do lol. It's all about preference I guess

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