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Shakawakahn OP t1_jed23b1 wrote

Reply to comment by Schmorganski in Ford hikes prices on its F-150 Lightning again, as production resumes after EV battery fire by Shakawakahn

they literally suspended production of less profitable models like sedans, hatchback and "family style" cars, citing supply chain issues. but at the same time they diverted those resources to higher margin models like trucks and SUVs. Now, they are regularly idling plants and suspending production to artifically sustain low inventory or "shortages".

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blisstaker t1_jed4i9y wrote

they arent the only manufacturer doing that and both toyota and mazda recently said they want to concentrate on higher priced cars

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I-tell-you-hwat t1_jeea906 wrote

There is such a disconnect between manufacturing and the public it’s fucking insane.

Here we all are struggling to buy groceries because EVERYTHING is going up and all of these people who make shit (cars and other products) continue as if everyone has the money to by an fucking f150 xlt trim for 70 fucking k. Get the fuck out of here with that shit.

In 2013 i bought a brand new F150 Platinum for 48k. Now you can hardly find an xlt for that.

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moistsandwich t1_jeedkbb wrote

There’s no disconnect. These companies just don’t care about you. They’re making record profits by targeting wealthier, high-end consumers.

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Lysandren t1_jeeimjq wrote

Just milk whales. It works for gacha games.

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I-tell-you-hwat t1_jeeoxwh wrote

That IS the disconnect. No shit it doesn’t care. Everyone knows this. There are MILLIONS of people they could sell products to but they cater only to higher classes.

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moistsandwich t1_jeexivi wrote

“Disconnect” to me seems to imply that they’re not understanding consumer needs. My point is that they understand consumer needs quite well. They just don’t see any profitability in meeting those needs.

They’re connected. They hear you. They just don’t care about what you’re saying.

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I-tell-you-hwat t1_jef9w7c wrote

And making the working class not able to afford proper transportation to and from work is bad for the entire economy not just automotive.

The disconnect is with THEM. Not us. Their idea that only the wealthy matter IS the disconnect. Disconnect doesn’t mean “doesn’t think about it”. It means they fundamentally fail to realize the importance of supplying the people with their needs. Regardless of their thoughts on it, the disconnect is that they purposely don’t care. They are making money “now” and are disconnected from the wants and needs of the majority of the population because all they see is big immediate bucks for a single purchase and not sustainable growth.

🤷🏻‍♂️

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Schmorganski t1_jed2qzk wrote

I was under the assumption that originally, after rebates and EV incentives, the cost of a base level F-150 could have been as low 38k.

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dinoroo t1_jedvuvu wrote

The base price of the Lightning Pro was $40k and some people actually got it for that much. Then they increaee the price twice to around $55k and said no more Pros are available for 2022 and 2023, conveniently only leaving the higher trims with not many added features. You basically pay $80k for the same truck the Pro is.

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mmaun2003 t1_jeehjqh wrote

Yeah I reserved an "order spot" back in May of 2021, thinking I might need a new car by the time they became available. $40K was way over what I've ever paid for a car but I liked the idea of using it as a generator if house power went out. Got my 'time to order' email yesterday and to get the one of want would be $83k 🤯 Put my down payment and trade-in value in an auto loan calculator and my payment would have been $1,300, that's more than my mortgage!

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dinoroo t1_jeerv1u wrote

Same my mortgage is $875 a month. I just can not justify spending that if more on a vehicle and this was going to be a farm truck, which for me, means I would put maybe 1000 miles a month on it max. Even generally using it, it would probably last forever, I still can’t justify that cost.

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SupaDJ t1_jed62pl wrote

Where can I find proof that this is legitimate, for idiots that I’m related to?

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notaredditer13 t1_jedd63l wrote

That's total nonsense. The Lightning is a new vehicle and the ramp-up is a real thing. It's completely separate from the change-over from cars to SUVs and trucks, which is 100% consumer-driven. If you prefer a cheaper sedan, then buy one - they still exist. If enough people buy them they will become scarce and the price and profit will rise. Then they'll make more of such more profitable vehicles.

The move away from sedans is driven by people being richer than they complain to not be on reddit.

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