Future Mavericks - I am optimistic

[colinl]

We control the price of the Maverick by buying them all up.

this is true because while the maverick hybrid has no direct competitors, the ecoboost is reasonably similar to a santa cruz and definitely is competing against midsize body-on-frame trucks.

but it's selling very well, other than 4Q 24 when the stop sale hit XL & XLT.

compare this to the Mustang which has no competition now. there is no other gas V8 coupe since the Camaro and Challenger left the market, and it's only the second year of a pretty major refresh. sales are terrible.

the market wants Mavericks.

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[Hybrid25XLTAWD]

Imagine how people would react in here if the only color option was black.

BUT! do you know, specifically WHY black was the only color option "back in the day"?

 

[npaladin2000]

BUT! do you know, specifically WHY black was the only color option "back in the day"?

OOh, mememememememe

Other colors dried to slow for the assembly process.

 

[RobbieAG]

I'm optimistic that Ford pivoted away from the all electric future based on market conditions. I agree that the price on many of their products is getting out of reach for most buyers. That's not specific to Ford though, it's throughout the entire industry. It's good that they're reintroducing base trims and producing more of them so people will have more affordable vehicles to choose from.

 

[Houndmav]

BEV = Gross

I need to wash my hands after reading that first post.

 

[Kenv24]

I don't know if I necessarily agree with all of that. The quality improvements with the Maverick, yes. But when it comes to affordable options on everything, that's far from the truth.

Everything they offer aside from the Maverick is very inflated. Their line of F-150s, Super Duties, Broncos, Expeditions, Explorers, Mustangs and Rangers all exceed over $40K with minimal options.

With options, you're looking at $70-100K vehicles which is far out of reach for the average U.S. consumer. They're pricing themselves out of their core market and seem to only be catering to the super wealthy.

Ford wasn't built around that. Their founding was building affordable vehicles that the average working class American can afford. That's simply not the case right now.

If they really want to keep true to their roots, they need to start offering more than one vehicle in the $20K realm or take what they currently have and deflate the prices by $10-15K. Then, they'll start looking more appealing to the average buyer and will sell a lot more in the process.

My last point is open to criticism but something's gotta give if they really want to address their excessive inventory and lot rot issues.

I mostly agree with you...but...here's my take. People are buying a TON of the highest trim F-150s, 250s and 350s...at least here in Texas. Yeah...i'd like to see other options in the 20k -25k range, but when your cream cheese trucks are selling for 100k, why change? Heck, wakeboard boats like Nautique and Mastercraft that were selling for 70k to 80k just a few years back are now priced at 220k-400k...for the same length boat with the same vinyl and fiberglass. And the thing is...there's a line out the door for them and they are selling out every year. Even in this bad economy. Ford can throw the public a bone every once in a while....but behind that kitchen door they are cooking and selling the Filet Minons as fast as they can make them. Dang it...now I'm hungry. I'm going to take my Mav to McDonalds. LOL

 

[Fcnrwy]

BUT! do you know, specifically WHY black was the only color option "back in the day"?

Yes.. "Japan" Black dried quickly... But!
Using only ONE Color allowed for faster assembly times.
But the paint had to applied in different ways to the different parts...

Japan = meaning 'Japanning" was paint similar to "Baked Enamel".
It was durable and hard, and gave the car a "piano black finish"...
Kinda like the look of the Mavericks' Shift Dial...

Jerry

 

[wax87]

I don't know if I necessarily agree with all of that. The quality improvements with the Maverick, yes. But when it comes to affordable options on everything, that's far from the truth.

Everything they offer aside from the Maverick is very inflated. Their line of F-150s, Super Duties, Broncos, Expeditions, Explorers, Mustangs and Rangers all exceed over $40K with minimal options.

With options, you're looking at $70-100K vehicles which is far out of reach for the average U.S. consumer. They're pricing themselves out of their core market and seem to only be catering to the super wealthy.

Ford wasn't built around that. Their founding was building affordable vehicles that the average working class American can afford. That's simply not the case right now.

If they really want to keep true to their roots, they need to start offering more than one vehicle in the $20K realm or take what they currently have and deflate the prices by $10-15K. Then, they'll start looking more appealing to the average buyer and will sell a lot more in the process.

My last point is open to criticism but something's gotta give if they really want to address their excessive inventory and lot rot issues.

Ford wasn't built around that.<<< Not sure I agree with this statement...

Henry Ford is credited with saying, "big cars, big profits - small cars, small profits" in the 1950s

 

[colinl]

Ford wasn't built around that.<<< Not sure I agree with this statement...

Henry Ford is credited with saying, "big cars, big profits - small cars, small profits" in the 1950s

Ford is not going to release a vehicle cheaper than the Maverick anytime soon. They were losing small sedan and hatchback sales to Korean and value-tier Japanese brands (Nissan and Mitsubishi), so they left that market.

Smart thing to do in my opinion, even though many people now with a Maverick or considering a Maverick have owned various Ford sedans and hatchbacks in the past.

If you want cheaper cars remove some safety requirements. It's that simple. NHTSA wants to save lives and between actual regulations and then scoring the crash testing - and seeing what poor scores vs top scores do for sales - it's very expensive to build a car that meets all current federal requirements and then insurance is costly because they are totaled after a single crash due to crumple zones.

If cars could be made cheaper and still compliant, someone would do that.

We're crawling towards autonomous driving, anyway. It might take 50 years to get there, but we will. Cars will get even more expensive with all the tech that will go in to sense traffic and pedestrians, share the information on a local network with other nearby vehicles, and autonomous cars will rarely crash and never driven inattentively or recklessly. When this is finally in place human drivers will be the primary source of accidents and it'll cost a fortune to insure human drivers, especially after your first accident. (This is a future topic, right? LOL)

 

[Blue_Max]

Ford wasn't built around that.<<< Not sure I agree with this statement...

Henry Ford is credited with saying, "big cars, big profits - small cars, small profits" in the 1950s

That would be Henry Ford II, not Henry Ford. And he put Robert S. McNamara in charge of product planning. McNamara killed the Edsel and gave us the Falcon (and the Vietnam War in his next job).

 

[npaladin2000]

Ford is not going to release a vehicle cheaper than the Maverick anytime soon. They were losing small sedan and hatchback sales to Korean and value-tier Japanese brands (Nissan and Mitsubishi), so they left that market.

I don't see them going back to small sedans and hatchbacks, but they do need something cheaper than the current Maverick. Not necessarily smaller, but cheaper. I still think it's a mistake to discontinue the Escape, and that could slot in below if equipped right. The Maverick was supposed to be the entry model, but it's too much of a runaway success to serve that role anymore. They COULD start building the Focus Active here, that's another option (Crossover, not hatchback).

Much as I'd like to see the Focus come back, as it was a damn nice car...that's not the way American tastes are going and it likely won't be successful enough to justify. I personally think they could come up with a stripper base Maverick below the XL. I'm not sure just how much they can stripper the thing down though, and stay within regs. Maybe FWD only, 1.5T engine, legacy dash and infotainment? I dunno...

 

[Waterick]

......... What I'd really like to see is the Maverick make it outside America (north AND south). It's tidy dimensions might do well in Europe as well as some Pacific Islands. ....

Well, get out of the big old US and the Maverick size is not all that tidy. Especially in Europe where most cities and towns streets were established thousands of years ago from cart paths. The Maverick is larger than some full size trucks of earlier generations. I don't think the Maverick will make a worldwide appearance in its present form. Maybe in some areas like Australia and the Pacific. I would not mind seeing a smaller Maverick.

 

[npaladin2000]

Well, get out of the big old US and the Maverick size is not all that tidy. Especially in Europe where most cities and towns streets were established thousands of years ago from cart paths. The Maverick is larger than some full size trucks of earlier generations. I don't think the Maverick will make a worldwide appearance in its present form. Maybe in some areas like Australia and the Pacific. I would not mind seeing a smaller Maverick.

I've been out of the US. I see them trying to horse Rangers through those streets (more like footpaths in the Phillipines). A Maverick would be an improvement as far as trucks go. Not gonna compete with their ultrasubcompact cars, but it doesn't need to.

 

[DokDream]

Call me a fool, but I see bright things ahead. I think Ford has the right CEO. He's actively pushing quality. He's pushing affordable BEVs. He's pushing for more affordable trims of everything in general. He's even tied executive bonuses to quality metrics. Go Jim Farley!

I look at the 2025 Maverick refresh, and aside from that nasal abnormality, I think they really improved the product with a minimal post-inflation price hike. That tells me they're paying attention to the Maverick. And they're paying attention to what we want. And it makes me anticipate the MY 2028-ish full redesign. I watch the BEV skunk works news, and the new BEV hub in Kentucky, and it's all promising.

Here's hoping Maverick becomes a multi-model nameplate with van and BEV options. Let's keep everyone happy. Maybe even a less expensive and two foot shorter 2-door variant? I hope we see the Ford Digital Experience and all the cool cost-reduction tech Ford's got in their labs right now.

I used to work in a software/hardware R&D division for a Fortune 50 corporation. I used bite my tongue because I'd interact with customers struggling with current product deficiencies. And what I had in the lab solved all their complaints (that's what engineers live for - try to make the product better). But what I had already created wouldn't reach them for two years (we did 18 months of quality testing before we shipped). And I couldn't tell them - "better is on the way".

I wouldn't mind redesigning the rear seat, if possible, to make it fold away to give an INSIDE storage area. Also, a Bull-bar across the front end should be standard.

 

[JD71]

Imagine how people would react in here if the only color option was black.

Ford could capture the Amish/Mennonite market.

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