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zeketolliver

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I'm not so sure it's been a "Ford has silenced the media" as much as it's just that there's nothing new to talk about. If pre-production vehicles aren't driving around being photographed and there isn't any new leaked information, there is no reason for writing a new article or creating a new video with nothing new to say or show.

And I'll also second, or third, the statement that it's much too late in the process to make design changes. Ford is well into the final certification testing at this point. As an engineer who has been a part of a handful of certification phases, both clean sheet and refresh, I can assure that these processes take a long time. Heck, look at the full-size Bronco. The fans wanted the manual to be offered with the Sasquatch package. Ford is making that change for them, but it won't be available as an option until next year. A full year and a half after announcing the change. That should give an idea of just how long it takes to incorporate a design change. Even a relatively minor one, as far as the engineering goes, like that.

I definitely (and obviously) have zero idea what goes into vehicle design, or what the timelines look like.

You are correct in that no new information leads to no new news stories.

My question for you, and the other folks more in-tune to the design process: How close do you think Ford is to officially announcing the Maverick?
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zeketolliver

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I think there is a great deal more market overlap between potential Maverick and Santa Cruz buyers. Outside of "brand loyalists," and "truck purists," I'm thinking the Santa Cruz and Maverick will largely compete for the same customers.

I think you are correct in that most of the potential buyers for this segment will take a wait and see approach.
 

Gary in NJ

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Ford will not announce the Maverick until they have line of sight to a production schedule. With the current chip shortage, it is unlikely that we will get any official data until that issue is resolved and Ford planning can schedule parts for delivery and labor.
 

CACTI_HYBRID

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I was at a Ford dealership today and struck up a conversation with a salesperson there. I told him I was waiting to see the new Maverick. I don't think he'd ever heard of it. I have had this happen before when at different dealerships . It's always amazing to me how salespeople at these places know far less about upcoming vehicles then do fans like you might find on this site.
 

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CACTI_HYBRID

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Salespeople have a hard enough time knowing anything useful about the current vehicles on their lot, so no way they'd have the time and brain space for something that doesn't even officially exist yet.
In fairness, I was also at a Hyundai lot and they didn't know much about the Santa Cruz either. Car salesmen don't seem to be the brightest bulbs in the string if you catch my drift. 😁
 

The One

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In fairness, I was also at a Hyundai lot and they didn't know much about the Santa Cruz either. Car salesmen don't seem to be the brightest bulbs in the string if you catch my drift. 😁
Every time I go looking for a new car I always know more than any salesman they have. When I went looking at 2015 Mustangs a salesman was getting a GT for me to drive it wasn't a GT it was a V6 I could tell that by looking at the taillight panel. 🤦‍♂️
 

ghost1986

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Girlfriend and I went to test drive a base Bronco Sport last night and the guy didnt know what the Maverick was really (which is sorta expected honestly). But then he said when I popped the hood it had the same 1.5 4 cylinder turbo as the Escape and I was like... what? How dont you know which engine is in your most popular models?

They got an attached Hyundai dealer to them and at least that guy there knew what a Santa Cruz was. I looked into a new Tucson to see when the interior of the Santa Cruz would be like and he seemed quite excited to get the Santa Cruz's in and see them in person.
 

MontanaEd

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You never know what you are going to get. I've talked to some dealer employees who were total enthusiasts and were very knowledgeable. But I've also talked to some folks who probably should not have been allowed to get a driver's license.

I called a dealer once after finding the exact vehicle I was looking for on their website. I talked to a salesman and asked if they still had the vehicle. He put me on hold for 10 minutes to go look for it. Came back and assured me they had it. I told him I was on my way to pick up my wife so we could look at it. He promised to pull the vehicle right up front and have it waiting for me. He could smell a sale, and rightly so. I got there and the vehicle was not up front. I had to have the salesman paged. When he comes out he says "So I did some more checking and that vehicle was delivered to a customer yesterday." No apology, no offer to look for another one. My wife and I ended buying from a dealer over 300 miles away who delivered the vehicle to us for free. So, if the sales people can't even keep track of what's on the lot right now, it is no surprise they have no idea what might be on the lot in six months.
 

CACTI_HYBRID

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What surprises me is that you'd think salespeople would be briefed on what's coming in meetings and such. One would especially think this to be true when a completely new model is coming, not just a new model year of a long-time vehicle, i.e. the 2022 F-150. I'd also think they'd get promotional material from Ford, signs and banners to post around the dealership, and there would be more hype.

I worked part-time for a Ford dealership for a few years as a photographer. This was right around the time the new Ranger was about to come out. One day a few just showed up on the lot. There was no fanfare, no "Now Here!" banners, heck, they didn't even put one in the showroom until a few months later. How can you get the public excited when you show such a lackluster attitude?
 
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MontanaEd

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Remember that Dealers are independent entities. They can, at least to a large degree, chose what to participate in. Example: The Chevy Bolt hit the market in 2017. My local Chevy dealer has their first one on order right now. Why? Local used car dealers have been selling them. So the Dealer knows there is demand.
 
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MarcusBrody

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We will see if Ford does something similar to what they just did with the F150 lightning, where they announced a model that is much cheaper than anything else and right below a cut off point (in this case 40k), but then offered no details about it and all the models with actual specs that appear consumer targeted start over 10k higher.
 

TruckGuySC

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We will see if Ford does something similar to what they just did with the F150 lightning, where they announced a model that is much cheaper than anything else and right below a cut off point (in this case 40k), but then offered no details about it and all the models with actual specs that appear consumer targeted start over 10k higher.
They actually did. The least-expensive Lightening is a commercial/fleet vehicle (which they stated in the launch). A few days later, they debuted the commercial version..
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