I asked Amek Leenart, director of design for Ford Europe, why Ford used VW’s woeful controls in both the Explorer and the Capri, and he told me that Ford worked with a partner to improve the response of the sliders (but wouldn’t tell me how), then admitted that “we tried to improve it a little bit – and I think we did – but at the same time, it is what it is. VW is our supplier of certain parts and at that time we had to make a decision.”
It’s such a shame because these decisions, made on balance sheets and in boardrooms, can kill perfectly fine cars. And in the Explorer’s case, it’s enhanced by the fact that it’s a good electric car, it’s quiet on the road and has good range and a distinctive, winning exterior.
Courtesy of Ford
I understand that project delays mean that the Explorer and Capri missed their window of opportunity, and that potentially better competing options landed at just the wrong time for Ford – but by focusing on range above all else and trying to limit development Over time, the gamble so didn’t quite pay off. And then trying to get away with charging almost £54,000 (about $68,500) for the top-of-the-range model, things get even more difficult.
Jim Farley is a smart man and I’m sure he looked at the Explorer and Capri and then back at his Xiaomi and realized there was a better way for Ford to deal with EVs than by dressing up competing platforms. But then there’s the UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate, which requires at least a quarter of new cars sold by British manufacturers to be zero-emissions by 2025. Ford needs to sell more EVs, and fast. This is a tough circle to square.
I know Ford’s focus is on hybrids right now, but looking at the success of the F-150 Lightning and Mach-E and all the elements to be celebrated in the EU-only Explorer, I hope we’ll see a lot more from the company in 2025 more full electric cars. It just needs to be made at Ford and accessible to everyone – then it certainly can’t lose.