Ford's truck platform argument is stupid

Discussion in 'Ford' started by 101101, Dec 6, 2019.

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  1. 101101

    101101 Well-Known Member

    Ford's truck platform argument is stupid.

    What Ford is really talking about here are claims made on the basis of premium scams and cripple ware. It is like BMW trying to claim its platforms are good enough that people can't tell its trying to pass off diet coke as the real thing because they are too good to have to do electrics from the ground up.

    But there are a couple of observations that put a pin to that balloon of denial. 1. Ford's trucks are not actually compelling vehicles on their own merits. Otherwise these vehicles and this vehicle type would be popular outside of the US. These vehicles have essentially no market share outside of the US because these vehicles can't compete on their merits. It is not just Ford its all of the Big 3 trucks that utterly fail to find any market share outside of the US and that is because their current sales are based on a false premise and one that will prove to be temporary. But notice that without sales outside the US there are also no Ford platform sales outside the US!! Also lets be clear that the platforms are there not because these vehicles are actually useful necessary vehicles in any way. They are not- remember none of these have any real market outside the US and the one tiny exception AU is because of similar government code based perversions to what is found in the US. No, vans and mini vans are better choices if utility is the measure. What the 'platform' bs is about (where they to rip off customers by adding utility to crippleware platforms) is allowing the urban cowboy image to seem like there is something to it by association with supposedly necessary 'work trucks.', Unfortunately for Ford and the Big 3 their profit center the low end center of the platform rhetoric vehicles such as the F150 are fully exposed in every way to the Cybertruck. And exposed in a way that is immediate and not at all even dependent on Cybertruck sales or production. The Cybertruck is a pin to the balloon of that denial and all the air rushes out at once in a pent up way.

    In the US alone the Big automakers spent more than 10 billion on advertising last year and they went backwards year on year sales by a good clip. Tesla spent nothing and it went forward by a massive amount. The Cybertruck immediately means that even as advertising to push already questionable products wasn't enough, now their sales hose will have more of a tied off bend in it because people are going to delay new truck purchases, they are going to have to think about it. They will be less likely to lease, on and on. Why buy the next blackberry when you've seen the first iPhone?

    The only reason for truck phenomenon in the US is a scam to sell more fossil fuels. It has had 3 components all of which are being undermined now. But with electric trucks the reason for the scams existence is undermine directly. The 3 reasons are as follows: 1. The chicken tax a 25% tariff (which FCA should no longer be eligible for because its now foreign- no longer American- bye by Dodge) meant to protect the big 3 from the Japanese trucks. 2. Idiotic EPA policy that actually subsidized more fossil fuel consumption by not penalizing higher weight vehicles but actually relaxing penalty curves there by opening the way for more collusion between fossil fuels and the big 3. 3. Stupid work truck tax deductions and credits designed to reinforce all this stuff. That shield is gone the incentive for this obvious nonsense is over. If we were going to have these things the benefits should really only apply to electrics and electric vans and minivans in particular but no chicken tax and should apply the penalty vice subsidy like Norway does to higher weight vehicles.

    Ford is arguing that Ford will remain viable because of its work truck platform bs. This simply isn't the case. The profit center of that bait and switch cripple ware scam is the F150 and it is now fully exposed. And this is why Wall St doesn't think the $37 billion Ford has in the bank is enough. Doesn't think all the new Ford partnerships or its ridiculous dividend or its electric noises are enough.

    Ford shouldn't be buying or bribing journalists to make these stupid arguments is should be further accelerating its transition to electric. It needs to triple down on trying to become Tesla. That is the way forward.
     
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