FORD TAKES ACTION TO ADDRESS EFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

[pbojanoski]

FORD IN BRITAIN CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
MAR 20, 2020 | DUNTON, ESSEX

Ford is working closely with all our partners as we navigate through the current Coronavirus effects across the globe and our business operations. Due to the dramatic impact this ongoing crisis is having on the European market and the supplier industry, we have decided to bring forward part of the summer shutdown period for our UK operations to the Easter period.
This means production at Dagenham Engine Plant in east London will temporarily cease from Monday, March 23. Bridgend Engine Plant in South Wales will temporarily cease production from the end of the day on Wednesday, March 25. In addition, the shutdown period will also be extended across the rest of the Ford business in the UK, excluding a small number of employees supporting business critical activities.
During this four-week period, all our employees will receive payments at least equivalent to their base pay.


https://media.ford.com/content/ford...03/20/ford-in-britain-coronavirus-update.html

@hybrid2bev, on a slightly different subject, any word on when option packages and prices will come out? (1st quarter was the plan?) Maybe even that new GT paint color? While we are shuttered in our houses because of this virus, maybe we can dream about what options we will have in our Mach E, especially the GT which seems to have the least info available.

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[hybrid2bev]

@hybrid2bev, on a slightly different subject, any word on when option packages and prices will come out? (1st quarter was the plan?) Maybe even that new GT paint color? While we are shuttered in our houses because of this virus, maybe we can dream about what options we will have in our Mach E, especially the GT which seems to have the least info available.

I wish I knew. I’m just as anxious as you for any new information. I keep waiting and looking every weekday for the order guide to be posted. I know there are other people on here with access to that source as well.... maybe they’ll see it before I get a chance to check that day. As you can imagine our homepage is loaded with work from home and coronavirus info. So we don’t get a lot of product updates.

The last rumor I heard was that orders for non-GTs would start around May... so I’m thinking maybe we should see more details by late April. Waiting sucks!

I know that the production residual percentages have been decided for the Ford Options (not a lease - lease program) so we’re getting progress on the financial front.

 

[Trekkie]

Beyond being a niche vehicle, why do you think Mach E sales will hold firm? My guess is they will soften. Several reasons: price of oil has dropped significantly, so ICE vehicle makes more economic sense; stock market drop leaving people feeling ‘less flush’ for a stretch purchase; optics of buying a prestige vehicle during a time of economic uncertainty or downright pain. Overall, I think most EV true believers are already driving Teslas, Leafs, or Bolts. Mach E, to me, is among the first true bridge offerings to the next level of early adopters.

As always, we shall see ...

I'd like to hope that like myself, the main reason for purchasing this wasn't because it was cheaper than gas, but because I firmly believe gas transportation is damaging this planet. I'm buying it because it's a kick ass car, and gets there without gasoline to do it. I'm also fortunate that I"m not making my purchasing decisions because of gas prices. Maybe there's a few, but the problem with that method is that usually it's the monthly cost that is the breaking point, and EVs take a bit of time to break even while costing more and if you can't afford that increase in the short term, you can't get the long term savings.

One of the many reasons once you're broke, you stay broke.

now, this could change for me in six months, depends on how the world goes after this other minor disaster known as covid 19

It is interesting to see how quickly air quality was restored, or the venice water becoming clear for first time in decades once everyone suddenly stopped moving about. Maybe that will help people see the correlation, who knows.

 

[Ken7]

I'd like to hope that like myself, the main reason for purchasing this wasn't because it was cheaper than gas, but because I firmly believe gas transportation is damaging this planet. I'm buying it because it's a kick ass car, and gets there without gasoline to do it. I'm also fortunate that I"m not making my purchasing decisions because of gas prices. Maybe there's a few, but the problem with that method is that usually it's the monthly cost that is the breaking point, and EVs take a bit of time to break even while costing more and if you can't afford that increase in the short term, you can't get the long term savings.

One of the many reasons once you're broke, you stay broke.

now, this could change for me in six months, depends on how the world goes after this other minor disaster known as covid 19

It is interesting to see how quickly air quality was restored, or the venice water becoming clear for first time in decades once everyone suddenly stopped moving about. Maybe that will help people see the correlation, who knows.

I'm assuming this was tongue in cheek. At least I certainly hope so.

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