More of an analogy, but, yeah.

Except they didn’t pay for everything:

Maybe because everybody who knows cars knows a WRX has been hooned to the gills?

re: “Ford probably had a bunch of MT-82s laying around.”

Supposedly, Ford has beefed-up the shift forks in the MT (I sure hope so, I have a Bullitt with it).  I had a Tremec in my ‘08 GT, and don’t remember it being anything special, either.

The (made in China) MT82 isn’t highly thought of in the Mustang community; though they’ve supposedly been improved over the years. The Tremec as found in the GT350 is mo’ bettah’, but then Ford when have to concede that fact if they’d used it.

I don’t believe the NTSB has enforcement power; they can, for instance, only make recommendations to the FAA, which the FAA can ignore (and often does). The right to use public roads as test beds for unproven technology was granted by state legislatures (looking at you, Arizona).

re: “... the California Highway Patrol is ditching the Explorers for the Charger...”

re: “If the coding were shared among all companies and vetted by Congress...”

Repeat after me:

By ‘profitable,’ they mean EBITDA (look it up).  Essentially means how much money they make before they pay the (biggest) bills, and is usually gamed to high heaven.

re: “... And their focus will be suburban and rural ...”

Aerobatic-capable aircraft all have 5- or 6-point harnesses. No matter how tight you get them, they will be too loose the first time you go inverted; I guarantee it.

You’ve just described Fox News.

but ... But ... BUT ... Synergies!!!

Mustangs are enthusiast’s cars. Ford is keeping it alive as it transitions to a truck/SUV-only manufacturer, so they get points for that.

The California ‘Cash for Clunkers’ scheme sent me several letters offering $700 for me to give up my Austin-Healey 3000, which I could easily have sold for $30-35K at that time. They were good for a laugh, anyway.

In the last layoff I went through—in the tech business—management mostly laid off the highest-paid engineers. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t one of the highest paid—salaries are largely kept secret to avoid upsetting the serfs—but I got the axe, too, as did one of my friends, an excellent programmer from India.

In the front row, no less ;)  (nit: It’s ‘Healey’).

“These are both gross misrepresentations of the community.”