5 ms·
> The price isn't right for small businesses. These trucks are quite expensive They definitely aimed for the luxury market, like Rivian. Who knows how successf
by bink 10mo ago
> The price isn't right for small businesses. These trucks are quite expensive
They definitely aimed for the luxury market, like Rivian. Who knows how successful they would've been if they aimed for mid-range like Scout. That's the market they claimed to be entering when they started taking reservations. They also could've offered a fleet ready version without the luxury features, but must've decided not to.
> They're difficult to repair
How so? They are far simpler to maintain than a normal F-150. They're new so they do have parts issues for the electronic components, I'm sure, but I think that's a fair trade-off. In any case, I don't think offering a hybrid version makes the vehicles easier to maintain or repair. If anything it's the opposite.
> Parts availability is scarce, contrasted with a regular F-150 (even junkyards are full of spare parts, that aren't software constrained)
I thought one of the advantages of the F-150 was that most parts were shared with the standard F-150? The battery and motors, maybe not.
- tracker1 10mo agoSignificant portions of the body and interior were not shared with general F-150 models... At least those parts most likely to be damaged in minor accidents... imagine having your work truck in the shop for 2-3 months for want of a corner light fixture.
- bink 10mo agoYeah, that's definitely a no-go. I think you'd see that with any new model, however. I once had a Ducati in the shop for 4-5 months just waiting on a wheel because it was a new model.
- rootusrootus 10mo agoThe interior of the pro model is identical to an ICE F150. The only part which breaks with any regularity is shared with ICE F150s, in fact. The only interior difference I can think of on any trim of Lightning is the big screen on higher models. But it's the same underlying SYNC system as every other F150, no magic there. It has breakable expensive headlights and taillights, that is for sure. But so do ICE F150s...
- philipallstar 10mo ago> It has breakable expensive headlights and taillights, that is for sure. But so do ICE F150s... The point is they're harder to get because they're rarer.
- turtlebits 10mo agoParts availability is not a problem for established manufacturers, especially mass market vehicles.
- tracker1 10mo agoI guess the F-150 Lightning and Electric Mustang weren't from an established mfg... because they regularly were waiting months on parts.
- shmoe 10mo agoThey also could've offered a fleet ready version without the luxury features, but must've decided not to. They did offer a fleet version.. the "Pro".
- sh34r 10mo agoI mean, what do we expect from this brainless company that promised a $20k Maverick and let the stealerships mark it up to over $40k?
- ecshafer 10mo agoFord announced the Maverick, it got so much excitement that it sold out and dealerships sold for over MSRP. So in their infinite wisdom they... didn't make more mid range trucks. Ill never understand these guys.
- kevin_thibedeau 10mo agoThe idea is that you make more profit selling 50,000 cheap trucks and 50,000 expensive trucks than just 100,000 cheap trucks. When you can fool a largely innumerate populace into 84-month loans with "cheap" monthly payments, overpriced vehicles are the way to go.
- aydyn 10mo agoCompetition? Its not like ford is the only seller out there.
- ethbr1 10mo agoAll US automakers are doing the same thing. There's gentle up-marketing collusion. The issue at root is that auto demand is a finite, population-based amount. Automakers are all pretty good at margin and manufacturing cost control. So that leaves the only independent variable that can influence revenue and profits as {average sold vehicle price}. New entrants face a scale issue: it's difficult to compete with the larger manufacturers' production costs with orders of magnitude less sales volume. Which is why you historically only saw state-sponsored new manufacturers break into the market (read: Japan, Korea, China). Electrification turned some of this on its head, but not completely. GM, Ford, et al. can still build just enough mid-market electrics to spoil others volumes, without attempting to build something really good and cannibalizing their own luxury vehicles.