What the hell is Ford doing?

[JustinsCustoms]

When you want Ruby Red, you want Ruby Red. I can relate. Not many 25, Ruby's on the used market.

It's a rarer color, we make far fewer Ruby and Velocity Blue than any other color.

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[UncleBrad]

You're seeing the beginning phases of industry downsizing itself due to the cost of options and variants. I predicted this about 8-10 years ago, as my line of work started seeing clients reducing options to save money on capital equipment and manufacturing costs. This has always been a cost-savings technique, but companies are having no choice in the matter anymore. I've been doing engineering consulting for a long time (probably why I'm such an anti-technology cynical jerk sometimes, but I promise it's only because I actually care), and many clients hand me catalogs of parts, want some magical fits-all solution, and can't understand why the cost is so high. I ask them for production volumes for variants, find out that a small percentage of geometric outliers are driving the cost, and suggest that they eliminate those or relegate them to "custom" territory. It saves a ridiculous amount of money for everyone involved AND the consumer. By the way, those costs often get distributed across all products, so if a company decides to keep an outlier, those costs don't necessarily stay with that outlier by weighted average.

The escalation in vehicle costs is not attributable to a single factor but to the convergence of several inflationary pressures. Consumer demand for increasingly electronic and feature-heavy vehicles has driven manufacturers to prioritize (poor and rushed) software integration, advanced (glitchy) infotainment systems, and (janky, unreliable, annoying) semi-automated driver aids, often at the expense of mechanical simplicity and long-term durability. Additionally, regulatory requirements, particularly from the EPA, mandate the inclusion of complex emissions-control systems and componentry that add significant cost to both production (including logistics, inventory, etc) and maintenance. Compounding these factors, general monetary inflation raises input costs across the supply chain, from raw materials to semiconductors. The net result is a market where vehicles are over-engineered in electronic systems, under-engineered in material quality, and consistently priced higher than their predecessors.

People don't understand the cost impact of small features- especially when you factor in margin stack, fees, and now tariffs, across all hands that touch the components. If everyone gets their 25% along the way, it adds up to 316% across just 4 tiers of manufacturing, plus logistics, plus fees/tariffs (often rolled into margin). It's scalping. And we just accept it as normal.

tl;dr: If consumers could curb their lifestyle inflation, industry wouldn't be chasing and contributing to that issue. "Base options" of today far exceed the "luxury" options of just 15 years ago, but it's never good enough for the US consumer. Average daily-driver cars could be $15k new, even in today's market, if they were simplified and product lifecycles extended to 10-15 year rotations instead of 1.5-2yr.

Well-said. I love "lifestyle inflation" - definitely will use that one.

 

[UncleBrad]

2 door, 4.7 v8 naturally aspirated locked sway disco advance 4x4 wash out interior for 40k... that's all Im saying is why don't they build this...

Add a proper manual transmission and I'm in!

 

[Mako]

Completely baffled by Ford’s lack of flexibility in the customization of a 25’ Bronco. I was one of the first to order a 21’ on reveal night. Got my Bronco, absolutely loved it, but due to the unforeseen circumstances of life, I had to let it go a few years later. Recently, I’ve been looking to get back into one, and damn man…. My exact original build (a base in ruby red with the Sasquatch package, and the added hardtop this time around) nearly touches 55 grand, and I don’t even have the V6 as an option.
I played around with the Big Bend build, and that nearly touched 60 grand; I had to add the goofy-looking $2500 free-wheeling package just to get the gloss black hardtop and if you want the Sasquatch package they force you to tack on the Black Diamond Package.
I always wanted a Badlands, so come to find out Im forced to take on the Sasquatch package if I want the 10 speed auto and the sway bar disconnect isn’t standard? Gtfoh. Ford literally said with no shame, “Let me charge you more for less.” 🫩

I have a 2023 Sasquatch V6 Lux with the 10sp 2 door Badlands , all bells and whistles... can't order one like it. crazy

 

[ThunderFlash]

I have a 2023 Sasquatch V6 Lux with the 10sp 2 door Badlands , all bells and whistles... can't order one like it. crazy

Like I said, I believe they are putting 2 doors at the very back of the bottom shelf. I believe it's chasing higher production numbers and bigger profits. This move making the 2 door "less desirable" through lack of options will decrease its numbers even further. Then they will kill the 2 door off entirely claiming lack of sales. I think it's a BAD move. The Bronco with only a 4 door configuration moves it to a much more competitive space where I believe it will lose even more market share.

I have both a 2 and a 4 door. Yeah, the 4 door is more practical and easier to live with day in/out and I appreciate them both. BUT, the 2 door has far more charisma, character, and smile factor. That's what made the original such a desirable rig in the first place. It's the sports car version of a truck.

 

[Mako]

Like I said, I believe they are putting 2 doors at the very back of the bottom shelf. I believe it's chasing higher production numbers and bigger profits. This move making the 2 door "less desirable" through lack of options will decrease its numbers even further. Then they will kill the 2 door off entirely claiming lack of sales. I think it's a BAD move. The Bronco with only a 4 door configuration moves it to a much more competitive space where I believe it will lose even more market share.

I have both a 2 and a 4 door. Yeah, the 4 door is more practical and easier to live with day in/out and I appreciate them both. BUT, the 2 door has far more charisma, character, and smile factor. That's what made the original such a desirable rig in the first place. It's the sports car version of a truck.

I really do understand people needing the 4 door, but with just my wife and me and the dogs.... 2 door all the way... took out the rear seats.... and uh-oh ... on the go

 

[Mako]

Like I said, I believe they are putting 2 doors at the very back of the bottom shelf. I believe it's chasing higher production numbers and bigger profits. This move making the 2 door "less desirable" through lack of options will decrease its numbers even further. Then they will kill the 2 door off entirely claiming lack of sales. I think it's a BAD move. The Bronco with only a 4 door configuration moves it to a much more competitive space where I believe it will lose even more market share.

I have both a 2 and a 4 door. Yeah, the 4 door is more practical and easier to live with day in/out and I appreciate them both. BUT, the 2 door has far more charisma, character, and smile factor. That's what made the original such a desirable rig in the first place. It's the sports car version of a truck.

I really do understand people needing the 4 door, but with just my wife and me and the dogs.... 2 door all the way... took out the rear seats.... and uh-oh ... on the go

 

[ThunderFlash]

2 door all the way

We sound like we are two peas in a pod. Two dog beds go in there nicely.

 

[Appalachia_Ewok]

I ordered my 2 door before I had kids and by the time I got it I had 1 kid and another on the way. I've gotten pretty good at contorting them back there though. Always have to park facing down hill so the seats stay slid forward.

 

[Imaginary Friend]

Like I said, I believe they are putting 2 doors at the very back of the bottom shelf. I believe it's chasing higher production numbers and bigger profits. This move making the 2 door "less desirable" through lack of options will decrease its numbers even further. Then they will kill the 2 door off entirely claiming lack of sales. I think it's a BAD move. The Bronco with only a 4 door configuration moves it to a much more competitive space where I believe it will lose even more market share.

I have both a 2 and a 4 door. Yeah, the 4 door is more practical and easier to live with day in/out and I appreciate them both. BUT, the 2 door has far more charisma, character, and smile factor. That's what made the original such a desirable rig in the first place. It's the sports car version of a truck.

This.

Ford has nearly killed my interest in Bronco entirely at this point with the relentless neutering of the 2-door options. I won't buy a base because of lack of content and I won't touch a MIC top with a 10-foot pole (I want the cloth seats though). BL then becomes the only option, but by the time you add a painted top and leather (don't want MGV, no cloth) the price balloons to $60K. Give us some real options (and a real soft top too).

Oh well, Jeep has been willing to sell me a Wrangler 2-door optioned how I want it, five times now. Mine just may never be the all-Ford household I've envisioned.

 

[crenca]

k

Could you expand on this a bit? I think I get your meaning but then there is context, known known's, unknowns, unintended consequences, and questions of culture...

 

[battering ram]

The price of the lowest cost Bronco in 2021 was $28,500. Now for 2025 it's $39,995. That's around a 40% increase. Not sure that's all simply due to inflation, but whatever the reasons that's a heck of an increase.

When politicians tell you inflation was 8% that’s a lie. In my plumbing business many parts went up 50-100%. My prices have increased dramatically. Wages went up $10 per hour in 2021. There’s your increase 40%. Inflation has made us all poor . You’ll never get back to where you were. Many of my customers struggle to accept this. If your on a fixed income your screwed

 

[CV428]

Could you expand on this a bit? I think I get your meaning but then there is context, known known's, unknowns, unintended consequences, and questions of culture...

sure.
people -> always make thing bad
thing happen -> Could be good, but probably not
me -> Expect bad
me -> Usually right

 

[Snacktime]

I know Ford priced me out of a 2 Door Bronco. The low production on the Base models 2 doors has kept the prices up. The best deal within 200 miles was $1500 off MSRP pushing the OTD price nearly $10K over a 2 Door Wrangler Sport. I know that you can score a 2025 Jeep 4 door for a few dollars more if you stay in the low trims.

The bigger gamble is buying a new vehicle right now, are prices going up due to tariffs or down due to lot rot? Also defaults on car loans are climbing so maybe we will see more used vehicles?

 

[Robert_James]

What he just said above. That’s what I did. Got a smoking deal on a used Badlands, loaded w squat. Aside from color, it was exactly how speced it in ‘21 but wasn’t willing to pay the $65K.

I picked up my '21 BadSquatch for under 40-ish with 22K miles on it back in May of this year! And it was definitely a mall crawler. Don't go crazy on Ford. I am sure people who use the products or services of the company you work for paid you less so those services or products were cheaper for them. imho.

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