The Ridgeline>all american made light duty trucks is thrown around on a lot Jalopnik, and elsewhere by other “Auto Journos”. I have to ask, what quantitative metrics is this based on? Fuel economy is a wash, actual purchase price is close, and the F150 has far more capability. Ride/handling is personal preference, and…

Exactly. It will will sell very well because it is the other choice from the “popular” choice. The same reason some looking for a sport/pony car will not even consider a Mustang because "they are everywhere".

Dealership owners invest and take on the risk of operating a business with narrow margins, selling products that they have zero control in the development of, from one supplier (not like retail stores that can sell you a TV or major appliance from numerous brands).

Soon to be found parked in a fire lane adjacent the front door of any retail establishment, absent the owner/operator. Failing that, the first available disabled parking spot, the operator of course having no disability. If found in motion, they will be happily changing lanes and making turns completely absent of any…

But they have always had the option of ordering their “unicorn vehicle” from the factory. Consumer desire for instant gratification compounds the problem.

“Dealer overhead”? Do you mean the cost of maintaining and operating a service department along with paying a qualified tech to do the work? In your dealer free world it was handled directly by the manufacturer and it would have been done outside a “boutique” by the “product genius” at a “McJob” wage, thereby making…

“....who decides not to offer anything else.”

With Ford credit, in Canada, there is zero compensation to the dealer when the customer uses Ford credit financing at the promotional rates. Nothing up front, nothing hidden, no "kickback" etc.

A typical car buyer walks into a car dealership to buy a new vehicle and has a loan on their current vehicle. They will want to know the final payment after taking in their trade and paying out the lien. This is mathematically impossible without knowing how much is owed. Some realize this, many don’t have the common…

Excessive dealer markup? Do you have any idea what the margin is on new vehicles? Hint, it starts with a “1".

Manufacturers sure do give direct discounts, but vehicle buyers don’t just want those, they need to feel that they got a “deal”. Not just any “deal” will do, a better “deal” than their neighbor/freind/brother-in-law/etc. got., which is likely only partially true as human nature is always to embellish.

The Navigator and Aviator and not FWD, the Nautilus and Corsair are FWD chassis, but are VERY far from re-badged Fords.

Probably the reason we had a customer looking at a new Ranger last week that thought the trade value on his 2012 frontier should be 95% of MSRP of a new one.

This is the Bronco they are re-imagining:

I fully expect corporations to make money, but short term increases to the bottom line at the expense of long term stability can hurt a company down the road.

The sub-par paint work and improperly installed interior panels that I have personally witnessed on a few examples are not engineering problems. Most of them are built fine, but some of what I’ve seen should never have been let out of the plant.

Blame the shareholders. They hold corporate governance to account based on quarterly statements. Car manufacturers now have to axe anything that is less profitable, even if selling in reasonable numbers. If it not increasing the bottom line significantly, it just isn't worth doing.

Mach-E will be built in Mexico, assembly should be much better.

About 22 years ago I bore witness to the rarest of K-cars. My roomate’s GF had a 2 door, five speed, with a factory cassette deck.

Everyone is severely underestimating the weight of the Tesla. A model X is north of 5200 lbs, add in the weight from that very heavy 3mm thick stainless “exoskeleton”, increased battery pack size, larger motors, AND all the material added to the suspension to handle the 3500 lb payload rating. I'd wadure it weighs…