Overall Attitudes toward the process

[MaximilianPaul]

...Just tired of NO response from dealers, mine or on the forum, and Ford Customer Service. Appears no one at Ford appears to be on the same page. That's my only gripe. In my line of work there is one voice for a company when dealing with a contract. Not everyone gets to speak for the company. Ford appears to have MANY representatives...

This is basically where I'm at, too. Mav made sense to and for me - before I knew anything about it other than what Ford had on the build site.

It does seem like there has been some aire of secrecy surrounding this whole process. Maybe they're trying prevent everyone on the outside from seeing just how disorganized supply chains are in the auto industry, or even at Ford specifically. It just seems as though Ford (corporate) could have their Mav team get out there and put all the rampant speculation to rest, but instead we just get rumors. Dealers don't seem to know anything, which seems like poor marketing strategy on Ford's (corporate) part.

I have my order and build date, and apart from wanting top dollar on my trade in, I'm in no way in a desperate situation. I just believe that everyone on this forum would be less antsy over the whole Maverick phenomenon, if it at least appeared that Ford was keeping interested parties (you all, dealers, folks who reserved but never ordered) informed about their fulfillment goals and setbacks as they occur.

(Also, just for the additional perspectives offered, I'd love to see some of these test drive videos and commentaries that are out there but not published yet).

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[M.A.C.]

I would just like to clarify the process just a bit because there are way too many misconceptions whipping people into a frenzy. I used to be involved in product launches at Ford some time ago and the process is likely to be following a similar system that was used when I was involved. However, much has changed over the years so this may not match today's process exactly but it likely has not strayed too far.

First, and most importantly, the Maverick is not considered to be in production at this time.

Ford is in is a ramp up to production. Suppliers are producing batches of parts on production tooling at production speeds using production processes. The batches are then inspected and then everything is put on hold waiting for Ford signoff on the part quality level. A good example of this is the recently leaked information of the 120 Hybrid parts made at Sterling Axle followed by a sudden shut down of that line. Those parts are likely for signoff and not any indication of issues as immediately conjectured.

The production ramp up to 'Okay to Sell' requires 2 batch builds at the Assembly Plant (Hermosillo in this case).

The first batch is to try out the tooling that has been installed on the Assembly line including incoming stock, material handling, bar coding, production process development, etc. These units are measured and inspected to make sure the design intent is made for this vehicle. Some of the vehicles that are seen rolling around in spy shots, dealer training events, etc. are likely from this build so this batch may have already happened. One of the outcomes of this process is a 'rebalancing' of the assembly line processes and a streamlining of the operation.

The second batch build is to verify that the vehicle can be built using the production process at production speeds using the supplier certified parts. This batch is then again inspected in detail and the data is used to support the Okay to Sell milestone. When that signoff occurs the Maverick will then go into production. Part orders will be issued with regular weekly deliveries and the line starts when stock levels are sufficient. This signoff MUST OCCUR first. This batch build is likely to not have occurred yet.

The production scheduling that is showing up in everyone's status is assuming Okay to Sell will be met on the program time plan. The earliest scheduled unit should be showing a date following the 9/15 time frame. If there is a build issue found during the batch build that needs to be corrected (and that issue may be minor and not be what YOU would consider to be an issue) before Okay to Sell is declared then there will be a short delay to the signoff. Sometimes a hose needs to be routed differently or a part had a marking or barcode that needs to be fixed.

This process is the same at GM, Toyota, Harley-Davidson, or any other major product manufacturer. People instinctively use this process when building their own furniture, deck, or remodel at home! The 'measure twice and cut once' principle uses this same process but just over simplified.

Now that was an awesome post that everyone who has ordered a Hybrid should read. Once you know the process it makes it much easier to wait. I personally appreciate the detailed explanation, it was thorough. Thanks

 

[Acro]

For me I think the part of the process that bothers me is the lack of communication and the fact that it doesn't feel like there was any benefit to reserving or ordering early. I haven't heard anything from my dealership since the day my order was put in (that's mostly on them not Ford I'm aware) but that's been 2 months and that seems like a long time for no communication or attempt to update me that they have a couple orders that got filled and mine may be soon or something on those lines. The other part of that is when I reserve or order something early I tend to expect to be towards the front of the pack none of my order is on late availability from what I read and I see others getting orders similar to mine with dates so is mine pushed back purely because I live in a less populated part of the country?

 

[M.A.C.]

I'm in NO hurry. I made the decision in May to trade both of my vehicles for a single vehicle. I decided we no longer required 2 vehicles. Having said that I caught the Hybrid bug.

I decided that IF I ever wanted another vehicle it would be a truck but not an EV. I can't afford to have the electric service and panel increased in order to install a charging station. Yes I know I can charge it at 110V. Over a course of time.

Along comes the Ford Maverick. So I jumped. No, I did not have any of the history or the struggles or efforts Ford has gone through to bring it into existence. I don't know any of that and don't really care. All I know I learned from the Ford Maverick site. I built my truck and reserved it then ordered it.

Then by pure accident I discovered this forum. I've learned a lot. I don't know anything and can't respond to all of the posts like the OP can. He is a well rounded individual who appears to have done it all.

I'm a retired Contract Manager managing US Government contracts and Oil & Gas contracts. Not a scientist or engineer. But I have life experiences like every one on this forum. I've had BAK Hardroll tonneau covers. I can only share what I like and didn't like. It's MY opinion, not scientific. Just my experience. I know how much cash I was going to spend at local dealer and how much I going to spend at Chapman. For someone to tell me I'm not saving that much, I have no explanation, just facts. Local dealer charging me $36,900, Chapman charging me roughly $33,400. I believe that's $3,500.

I'm not pissed Hybrids aren't being built in record numbers. But when I see and hear they are only making 139 Transmissions, that doesn't give me hope of getting a truck anytime soon.

I DO NOT need this vehicle. I want this vehicle. I will wait. I can cancel. It's my option. But when Ford markets it as a base model a prudent buyer assumes (yes I know what that means) they will push that model. But then to say it will be a 60/40 production, caught a lot of buyers off guard. The ONLY saving grace Ford has is to pump 2.0EB out the door (which none have left yet) to meet what they said, Maverick to be delivered in the Fall of 2022.

But that doesn't make the Hybrid pill any easier to swallow. Again, I personally could care less when it gets here. My car insurance is paid up until the first of the year. If I don't get the truck before then, oh well, I'm saving money. So I'm not upset or anything. And I'm tired on posters telling us we are cry babies. Not the case. Just tired of NO response from dealers, mine or on the forum, and Ford Customer Service. Appears no one at Ford appears to be on the same page. That's my only gripe. In my line of work there is one voice for a company when dealing with a contract. Not everyone gets to speak for the company. Ford appears to have MANY representatives that speak for them.

That's my take. Black ball me if you like, call me a liar if you like, I really don't care. It's MY money and I will direct how and where it gets spent. Thank you for taking the time to read this if you made it this far.

Have a nice day!

Damn I was going to write some along those lines. I am in a similar boat, I don’t need the truck today, tomorrow or even next month and I did write in a thread about 139 transmissions because a one liner wanted some facts.

Sometimes people want to hear nice stories and sing Kumbaya at the fireplace and that’s Ok but this is a free speech forum that has always been respectful. There are adults here with very strong opinions and they let you know what they are but never have I seen anyone get disrespected. What I have seen is people not agree and that has to be Ok because this is America and we have the right to disagree as long as we do it with respect.

I will continue to agree and occasionally disagree and yes maybe bit** a little but I will always respect everyone that has a different opinion.

I appreciate and respect everyone in this forum even when I think they are wrong.

Actually I think most of you guys are right most of the time just don’t repeat that.

 

[WesM]

I don't see how ford can really avoid this kind of pent up emotional response with their current release model. I suppose they have good marketing reasons (more money) for announcing a vehicle six months to a year (or more) before people will actually see them (Thanks Tesla for giving the auto industry that idea).

I understand your desire to defend Fords actions, but the facts are they knew they were releasing a new vehicle while experiencing component shortages, not to mention a new production line that was not ready to go. Ford could have avoided a lot of this angst by waiting till their production line was setup and ready to run, before announcing and taking reservations/orders. They could have had the first month of production running a combination of early reservations/stock/dealer builds at which point they would have had plenty of customer builds to keep them going.

Its also understandable that the moderators of a forum would try and control the angst so the environment stays productive and enjoyable... as long as they are not overly heavy on the ban hammer.

 

[hcforde]

I would just like to clarify the process just a bit because there are way too many misconceptions whipping people into a frenzy. I used to be involved in product launches at Ford some time ago and the process is likely to be following a similar system that was used when I was involved. However, much has changed over the years so this may not match today's process exactly but it likely has not strayed too far.

First, and most importantly, the Maverick is not considered to be in production at this time.

Ford is in is a ramp up to production. Suppliers are producing batches of parts on production tooling at production speeds using production processes. The batches are then inspected and then everything is put on hold waiting for Ford signoff on the part quality level. A good example of this is the recently leaked information of the 120 Hybrid parts made at Sterling Axle followed by a sudden shut down of that line. Those parts are likely for signoff and not any indication of issues as immediately conjectured.

The production ramp up to 'Okay to Sell' requires 2 batch builds at the Assembly Plant (Hermosillo in this case).

The first batch is to try out the tooling that has been installed on the Assembly line including incoming stock, material handling, bar coding, production process development, etc. These units are measured and inspected to make sure the design intent is made for this vehicle. Some of the vehicles that are seen rolling around in spy shots, dealer training events, etc. are likely from this build so this batch may have already happened. One of the outcomes of this process is a 'rebalancing' of the assembly line processes and a streamlining of the operation.

The second batch build is to verify that the vehicle can be built using the production process at production speeds using the supplier certified parts. This batch is then again inspected in detail and the data is used to support the Okay to Sell milestone. When that signoff occurs the Maverick will then go into production. Part orders will be issued with regular weekly deliveries and the line starts when stock levels are sufficient. This signoff MUST OCCUR first. This batch build is likely to not have occurred yet.

The production scheduling that is showing up in everyone's status is assuming Okay to Sell will be met on the program time plan. The earliest scheduled unit should be showing a date following the 9/15 time frame. If there is a build issue found during the batch build that needs to be corrected (and that issue may be minor and not be what YOU would consider to be an issue) before Okay to Sell is declared then there will be a short delay to the signoff. Sometimes a hose needs to be routed differently or a part had a marking or barcode that needs to be fixed.

This process is the same at GM, Toyota, Harley-Davidson, or any other major product manufacturer. People instinctively use this process when building their own furniture, deck, or remodel at home! The 'measure twice and cut once' principle uses this same process but just over simplified.

Well said!!! I use to work at Fisher Body for General Motors years ago. The only issue that is different from normal that you did touch on, is the scarcity of parts. This will cut into their production economies of scale.

 

[hcforde]

For me I think the part of the process that bothers me is the lack of communication and the fact that it doesn't feel like there was any benefit to reserving or ordering early. I haven't heard anything from my dealership since the day my order was put in (that's mostly on them not Ford I'm aware) but that's been 2 months and that seems like a long time for no communication or attempt to update me that they have a couple orders that got filled and mine may be soon or something on those lines. The other part of that is when I reserve or order something early I tend to expect to be towards the front of the pack none of my order is on late availability from what I read and I see others getting orders similar to mine with dates so is mine pushed back purely because I live in a less populated part of the country?

That has to do more with dealer allocation that is thrown into the mix with part shortages. The whole process of logistics and distribution is a field you can get a Ph.D. in. It is not as simple as one might think.

 

[crazymomlv]

Generally, people have been positive, and that’s good to see. I think the general rollout, in light of the pressure of component constraint is actually going pretty well.

Has the Maverick production slipped? Depending on what reports you follow certainly, or it has advanced.

huh?

The Maverick was designed in about 22 months. For a US auto manufacturer, that is warp speed. It helps that in some ways it is an adaptation of existent design, even so I hate to use the overused word Unprecedented, but it is closer than most people use that word today.

Ironically, the pandemic has made us an even more on demand society. We have become used to ordering groceries and having them packaged for pickup same day. Order something via prime, 1-2 day delivery. Streaming entertainment, instant gratification.

I would like to remind folks the release date for Mavericks is about a month away still. It is a new product, utilizing components in global constraint desuply to coin a word. The spray in bed liner, tonneau covers etc are manufactured or applied using an organic solvent that is in constraint. Global chip supplies are, well in allocation. That means there will be priority shifts.

There is a theory that the Maverick had to have a certain % hybrid to meet EPA regulations. It is likely true. EPA regulations are often Byzantine at best and each model year vehicle must meet certain standards or be hit with a fee. If the theory is true, the total number of Mavericks built will be supported by the number of hybrids which are sold, lest Ford be hit with a major fine. Further, depending on what the EPA says the Maverick’s MPG numbers are, it may further limit production of the ecoboost. Ford needs hybrid sales, so they are not deliberately slowing them or de-prioritizing them. When the numbers shake out they will have to produce at least 1 hybrid for every x ecoboost (and even that’s a simplification it is really the entire production run will have to meet an mpg standard)

All of this leads me to my subject: while certainly the overall attitude has been good, and some Ford groups have really stepped up and granted us insight into a normally cloudy process. There are some members with some catastrophic attitudes. Sit down and chill.

It does not help when some people, considered knowledgeable post contrary information. Nor does it help when the contradictory source is Ford itself vs a dealer, but if a measurement is that important for your application, then you need to either wait and measure it yourself, or go with the guys who have actually designed the vehicle.

There are doom and gloom people as well, conspiracy theorists, and just plain obstinate gruffy old dwarves (oh wait that last one is a description of me) take it with a grain of (or kilo whichever) salt.

I blocked 4 accounts and the number of negative posts dropped precipitously.

Just calm down, let Ford their job, and relax. If you have to have a vehicle now, there are offers to lease them to you. If you can sell a used vehicle now and wait on delivery of a new one, I suspect that is a smart idea. If not, wait to sell.

Complaining and calling into question the motives of dealers and a company trying to sell you exactly what you want is counter productive. You will only add stress to your life, and things are stressful enough right now.

/end rant

well-said. Where is complaining going to get you anyway? All in time…

 

[Delzona]

Generally, people have been positive, and that’s good to see. I think the general rollout, in light of the pressure of component constraint is actually going pretty well.

Has the Maverick production slipped? Depending on what reports you follow certainly, or it has advanced.

huh?

The Maverick was designed in about 22 months. For a US auto manufacturer, that is warp speed. It helps that in some ways it is an adaptation of existent design, even so I hate to use the overused word Unprecedented, but it is closer than most people use that word today.

Ironically, the pandemic has made us an even more on demand society. We have become used to ordering groceries and having them packaged for pickup same day. Order something via prime, 1-2 day delivery. Streaming entertainment, instant gratification.

I would like to remind folks the release date for Mavericks is about a month away still. It is a new product, utilizing components in global constraint desuply to coin a word. The spray in bed liner, tonneau covers etc are manufactured or applied using an organic solvent that is in constraint. Global chip supplies are, well in allocation. That means there will be priority shifts.

There is a theory that the Maverick had to have a certain % hybrid to meet EPA regulations. It is likely true. EPA regulations are often Byzantine at best and each model year vehicle must meet certain standards or be hit with a fee. If the theory is true, the total number of Mavericks built will be supported by the number of hybrids which are sold, lest Ford be hit with a major fine. Further, depending on what the EPA says the Maverick’s MPG numbers are, it may further limit production of the ecoboost. Ford needs hybrid sales, so they are not deliberately slowing them or de-prioritizing them. When the numbers shake out they will have to produce at least 1 hybrid for every x ecoboost (and even that’s a simplification it is really the entire production run will have to meet an mpg standard)

All of this leads me to my subject: while certainly the overall attitude has been good, and some Ford groups have really stepped up and granted us insight into a normally cloudy process. There are some members with some catastrophic attitudes. Sit down and chill.

It does not help when some people, considered knowledgeable post contrary information. Nor does it help when the contradictory source is Ford itself vs a dealer, but if a measurement is that important for your application, then you need to either wait and measure it yourself, or go with the guys who have actually designed the vehicle.

There are doom and gloom people as well, conspiracy theorists, and just plain obstinate gruffy old dwarves (oh wait that last one is a description of me) take it with a grain of (or kilo whichever) salt.

I blocked 4 accounts and the number of negative posts dropped precipitously.

Just calm down, let Ford their job, and relax. If you have to have a vehicle now, there are offers to lease them to you. If you can sell a used vehicle now and wait on delivery of a new one, I suspect that is a smart idea. If not, wait to sell.

Complaining and calling into question the motives of dealers and a company trying to sell you exactly what you want is counter productive. You will only add stress to your life, and things are stressful enough right now.

/end rant

Well said!

 

[Rkbrumbelow]

Can’t in most states I believe

 

[oljackfrost]

I don't see how ford can really avoid this kind of pent up emotional response with their current release model. I suppose they have good marketing reasons (more money) for announcing a vehicle six months to a year (or more) before people will actually see them (Thanks Tesla for giving the auto industry that idea).

I understand your desire to defend Fords actions, but the facts are they knew they were releasing a new vehicle while experiencing component shortages, not to mention a new production line that was not ready to go. Ford could have avoided a lot of this angst by waiting till their production line was setup and ready to run, before announcing and taking reservations/orders. They could have had the first month of production running a combination of early reservations/stock/dealer builds at which point they would have had plenty of customer builds to keep them going.

Its also understandable that the moderators of a forum would try and control the angst so the environment stays productive and enjoyable... as long as they are not overly heavy on the ban hammer.

You must not have been on the forum early on when people were saying “come on Ford, show us the Maverick, we’re in the dark, give us some details “

 

[CASD57]

As a person who has seen both Hyundai and Ford Launch..Reservation System, and communications from the Dealers and Factory Rep's....
The Maverick is the clear winner here... The reservation is real....Info from the Ford rep's is plentiful and the whole process is transparent except for how they pick who gets scheduled...
And even the time from conception to a Maverick being finish is outstanding...
So far the Dealers look like they are honoring the reservation system and only charging MSRP
And you get to pick your build.............

Hyundai.....What a misinformed clusterfluck.... took over 6 years from conception to the first build Their reservation system/ insider whatever they call it...is a joke
You get to build what you want....but that's not what will actually be sent to the dealer.. It's like they are doing Dealer stock first.
90% of dealers are adding a dishonest addendum that will put you so far in the upside-down category that you will never get out...even if you pay cash. And just think how they are going to stick it to you when you trade it in....

I'm sorry but Ford/Maverick.....seems to be the model of how business should be done....how to treat customers..
I know the Bronco has some bumps... but hopefully with the Maverick, it will be different...Hopefully, the Bronco was the learning process...

So yes after the flustration over at Hyundai Forum..... I'm a lot happier here
I cut the spray-in so hopefully this week is my week

 

[Eagle11]

As someone who has been closely following and excited about Ford's new products, I will say my frustration has grown after a long, failed attempt to procure a Bronco Sport.

Splain this, I see many Bronco Sports on the road, did you order one ?

 

[r100gs91]

If I had not contacted my dealer to switch to the Hybrid, I probably would not have heard anything from them. Maybe there pissed because my purchase is now $3500 less.

 

[Eagle11]

I have ordered a "couple" of BMW's and done the European Delivery of those cars, I know what it's like to sit and wait. You wait for the build (usually 6-8 weeks) then you have a wonderful vacation in Europe in your new BMW, then you have to wait 6-8 weeks for your car to be shipped to your dealer. I think this is called "Life Experiences." those who want it now, will understand this later on in life.

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