$30K Ford Ranchero EV Pickup - News & Info

[zipn]

Ford, GM, and Stelantis (Chrysler) have all demonstrated that they don’t really grasp the EV market with the exception of the Bolt which, being a clear Detroit winner, Chevy immediately pulled it off the market, brought it back, and is rumored to be ‘re-purposing’ the factory where it is built.

The track record of the so-called ‘Big Three’ in EV tech is abysmal. The advantage of Slate comes from being designed EV from the ground up (drag efficients notwithstanding), modular (think the ‘3’ would let you redesign their vehicles?), and low cost simple. Unless the 3 figure that the original Ford was right — simple affordable vehicles for the masses — they won’t match Slate unless it hits and hits big.

Case in point — Slate coming in around mid $20k, Ford already announced to be ‘right at’ $30k. How many people, I wonder, have ever found a vehicle manufactured by Detroit that was actually at the lowest advertised price? So my guess is after the add-ons it’ll be more mid $35k at least. Usually you, the consumer, gets little say in what appears on the lot but, with Slate, you begin with an empty palate and you can build from there and end up with a tricked out truck/suv if you want. Of course that’ll run you a bit more than the mid 20s.

The Maverick I purchased last year was done on-line at 3% below invoice. No hassle, and minimal dealer fees. I was able to order exactly what I wanted and not anything I didn't. Only down side was order was placed in November and had to wait 6 months for it to be picked up in April. As long as you don't mind waiting, some dealers do it proper. If you can't wait, then yes, you're at the mercy of whatever the dealer was able to put on the lot, and those are usually loaded.

FWIW it was Granger Ford in IA. They offer that on-line no-hassle pricing to everyone. Does require a $500 non-refundable deposit to assure buyers are serious though. I think they still offer that deal on all new Fords. It was worth the cheap flight and road trip to pick it up.

 

[MotoGary]

Agreed. These latest camo spy shots make it look incredibly ugly, but maybe it's just the camo.

That’s the exact purpose of the camo! Like I said, the camo team is top notch.

My first thought. Those door handles are fake. The windowsills are much lower than the top end of the camo. You can see where they really are if you look closely. Top of the bed is also lower and lines up with the windowsills.

I argee, the door handles are fake. In various videos there are no door handles. I'm also getting a Mach-E vibe from the front end. Despite the obvious attempt to hide it, you can make out the basic outline in this screenshot of a video. Ford is known for repeating previous design elements and it would make sense that they would borrow aerodynamic influences from the Mach-E. I'm guessing the door handle design is also borrowed from the Mach-E.

I also noted in this video that the test engineer referred to it twice as a "car". It's clearly going to be more car-like than truck.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

I'm guessing the door handle design is also borrowed from the Mach-E.

There's things I do and don't like about the Mach-E, but I absolutely HATE the door h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶s̶ buttons.

 

[Nivek]

Ironically, when you google "Slate Auto" the first thing you get is a huge sponsored ad for Ford EV. I dont know how sponsored listings work, if Ford marketing could pay to put that up when you google slate... or if its just an algorithm. But I find that funny.

 

[cadblu]

Ironically, when you google "Slate Auto" the first thing you get is a huge sponsored ad for Ford EV. I dont know how sponsored listings work, if Ford marketing could pay to put that up when you google slate... or if its just an algorithm. But I find that funny.

Not an algorithm. Sponsored ads means that Ford paid Google tons of advertising money to appear at the top of the search results, in hopes that those searching for a Slate will be diverted and become more enamored with the Ford EV.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Slate has 160,000 pre-orders which is roughly the yearly sales of a Maverick.

Let's not start confusing reservations with pre-orders.

 

[KevinRS]

Not an algorithm. Sponsored ads means that Ford paid Google tons of advertising money to appear at the top of the search results, in hopes that those searching for a Slate will be diverted and become more enamored with the Ford EV.

It isn't necessarily that Ford targeted Slate though. They probably have a whole list of words, including "EV" "truck" and probably the model names of all their competitors, probably make names too, but they will only get a % of those because all the other makes are doing the same.

 

[Nivek]

It isn't necessarily that Ford targeted Slate though. They probably have a whole list of words, including "EV" "truck" and probably the model names of all their competitors, probably make names too, but they will only get a % of those because all the other makes are doing the same.

I googled just "Slate Auto". For giggles I tried other brands followed by auto and didnt get the same thing.

 

[MotoGary]

Let's not start confusing reservations with pre-orders.

A $50 reservation is a very soft commitment. My guess is that 20-25% will actually convert to orders. It should be higher for those who post here. But I doubt by much. Maybe 30-35%.

Keep in mind though, that’s not counting fleet sales which could end up be a substantial percentage of overall annual sales.

 

[KevinRS]

I googled just "Slate Auto". For giggles I tried other brands followed by auto and didnt get the same thing.

If I try with nissan trucks, or ram trucks, I get the nissan or ram sponsored pages, so those companies paid for that. It's entirely possible that Slate will start spending in that area soon.

 

[Nivek]

A $50 reservation is a very soft commitment. My guess is that 20-25% will actually convert to orders. It should be higher for those who post here. But I doubt by much. Maybe 30-35%.

Keep in mind though, that’s not counting fleet sales which could end up be a substantial percentage of overall annual sales.

That seems like a low conversion rate. I would think 50% or higher. If Slate comes in under $25k for the base model I would think we see that number on the higher side. Tesla and others have converted at a 70% rate when I looked it up.

I think ultimately fleet will be big, I question that upfront though. Usually parts and service are a major factor in their purchase. Just my 2c.

 

[KevinRS]

I can see Slate having higher conversion than others because of price. Many others have come in at double Slate's price, and that has got to have an impact.
Slate probably knows more than we do, they know how many reservation holders are still visiting the Slate site even occasionally since putting the $50 down. The more people are visiting, the more likely to buy as long as Slate meets expectations. The ones who haven't visited the site since; are probably going to be low % conversion, though some may have cookies disabled and not be logging in.

 

[MotoGary]

That seems like a low conversion rate. I would think 50% or higher. If Slate comes in under $25k for the base model I would think we see that number on the higher side. Tesla and others have converted at a 70% rate when I looked it up.

I think ultimately fleet will be big, I question that upfront though. Usually parts and service are a major factor in their purchase. Just my 2c.

We forget that most reservations were when made when the Slate messaging was “under $20k” after Federal tax credit.

There was also no real competition in that segment. Now we’re at mid-twenties and most likely close to $30k for what most buyers want, plus there’s now a major competitor in the Ford midsize that will appeal to more buyers.

At under $20k, I agree. Probably in the 50% range. But now? Much less appealing. I’ll be shocked (no pun intended) if the first wave conversion rate is over 30%. I think the majority will hold on to their reservations, but not place orders as soon as their window opens. Most will wait and see.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

There was talk here of Ford trying to steal Slate's day in the sun. I reflected on this, and yea, it makes so much sense to me. Here's my thinking...

Slate is going to enjoy a media frenzy on price day. Think pirana and somebody in the water with a bleeding cut. So you're a Ford marketer. You're not threatened by Slate - you're pretty sure they're dead in the water and won't even exist in a year. But you see that for one week in late June every media outlet and content creator on the planet is going to be generating clicks with Slate content.

So you think to yourself, "hey, why dont I get some of that free advertising?" So you start to leak just enough information so the content creators know a Ford product is coming. Just teasers.

So now on Slate day, almost every single bit of content about Slate will have a paragraph at the end. Talking about the Ford BEV truck.

Free advertising. Ford should send a "thank you" card to Slate.

 

[NMNeil]

They have developed repair methods to these gigacastings that don’t involve replacing the whole thing. In some ways they are preferable then non-gigacasting structures. See article below.

https://insideevs.com/news/722615/model-y-giga-casting-repair/

Thanks for that.
"John points out a line running through the rear frame rail of the vehicle. If damage had occurred here, the portion could have been severed and replaced. “We have the option to literally cut this off and attach a new piece of cast aluminum to this spot.” The new piece would be attached using rivets, structural adhesives and a backing plate."

Rivets, glue, duct tape and chewing gum. Already in use on some of the cars and trucks around here