Tag Archives: Ford

NEW CARS

2027 Ford Bronco RTR

Ford has never been shy about stretching the Bronco nameplate, and for 2027 it’s doing exactly that—again. Meet the Ford Bronco RTR, a factory-backed off-roader born from Ford Performance and Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s RTR Vehicles. The pitch is simple and compelling: Raptor-style high-speed desert capability, dialed-up visual drama, and a starting price that undercuts some of the Bronco lineup’s more hardcore trims.

If you’ve been paying attention to RTR’s work on Mustangs and Broncos, this move feels inevitable. RTR-built rigs have long blended attitude with real performance upgrades, and now Ford is folding that recipe directly into the production lineup. The Bronco RTR isn’t a dealer-installed appearance package—it’s a purpose-built model with meaningful hardware changes.

Start with the basics. Standard equipment includes 33-inch all-terrain tires wrapped around RTR’s beadlock-capable Evo 6 wheels. A high-clearance suspension adds a modest lift, while Hyper Lime accents, an RTR grille, and distinctive lighting give the Bronco RTR a look that’s impossible to miss, especially when it’s barreling toward you across open desert.

But the real story here isn’t the paint and plastic. Ford and RTR have poured serious desert-racing know-how into this truck, most notably through revised engine software. The Bronco RTR gets off-road–optimized anti-lag technology that keeps the turbo spinning even when you lift, maintaining boost for smoother, more predictable throttle response. It’s the kind of tweak you don’t notice on the spec sheet—but you absolutely feel when you’re flying over washboard at speed.

To keep things cool when the terrain—and temperature—turn brutal, Ford also installs the Bronco Raptor’s cooling fan. That’s a strong signal that this truck is designed to be driven hard for extended periods, not just posed for social media.

For buyers who want to go all-in, there’s the optional Sasquatch package. That upgrade swaps the standard 33s for 35-inch tires and, more importantly, brings the HOSS 3.0 suspension into the mix with Fox dampers. Previously reserved for the Badlands, HOSS 3.0 trickling down the Bronco lineup is a win for enthusiasts—and it transforms the RTR into a much more serious high-speed off-road weapon.

Ford is also keen to emphasize value. According to Bronco brand manager Haley Skiko, the Bronco RTR is meant to be a “sweet spot” in the lineup, delivering Raptor-inspired performance at a lower starting price than a Badlands Sasquatch. Translation: it’s aimed squarely at buyers who want real desert capability without the full Raptor commitment—or cost.

The Bronco RTR will make its public debut at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, with a more natural habitat awaiting it shortly after at King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley. Orders open in October, and deliveries are slated for January 2027.

In a lineup that’s already crowded with capable trims, the Bronco RTR still manages to carve out its own identity. It’s louder, faster, and more desert-focused than most Broncos—and crucially, it feels like more than just another badge. If Ford’s goal was to inject RTR’s racing DNA straight into the showroom, this Bronco looks like a mission accomplished.

Source: Ford

SOCIAL MEDIA

Car Warranty Trap Explained

A viral TikTok from a California repair shop recently sent a ripple of anxiety through the commercial-vehicle world. In the video, a mechanic warns business owners that Ford is allegedly voiding warranties on medium-duty trucks—not because they’ve been driven too far, but because they’ve been idling too long.

The claim is simple, alarming, and perfectly tuned for social media: a truck with low mileage but high engine hours can be declared “out of warranty” based on so-called “equivalent miles.” According to the mechanic, Ford multiplies total engine hours by an assumed average speed, turning idle time into phantom mileage and denying coverage in the process.

It sounds like a loophole. It sounds like a scam. But like most things that go viral in the automotive world, the reality is far less sinister—and far more boring.

Miles Don’t Tell the Whole Story

The example used in the video is a 2020 Ford F-550 showing just 33,000 miles on the odometer but logging roughly 1,500 engine hours. The mechanic claims Ford treats those hours as if the truck had effectively traveled far more than its dash suggests, pushing it beyond warranty limits.

What’s missing from that explanation is context—specifically, the part of the warranty documentation that fleet buyers are expected to read.

Ford’s commercial vehicle warranties for medium-duty trucks don’t rely solely on mileage. They also include engine-hour limits, typically stated as coverage lasting until a certain mileage or a specific number of engine hours is reached, whichever comes first. For many applications, that limit is clearly defined at 4,000 engine hours.

That isn’t a loophole. It’s a line item.

Why Idle Time Counts

From an engineering standpoint, the idea that idling “doesn’t count” simply doesn’t hold up. An engine doesn’t stop wearing just because the wheels aren’t turning. Oil still circulates. Heat cycles still occur. Components still experience friction and degradation.

In fact, extended idling can be worse than steady highway driving—especially for modern diesel engines. Long idle periods are notorious for clogging diesel particulate filters, fouling EGR systems, and accelerating oil contamination. That’s why manufacturers, not just Ford, publish separate maintenance schedules for vehicles that spend significant time idling.

Industry standards commonly equate one hour of idling to roughly 25 to 30 miles of driving for maintenance and wear calculations. That conversion isn’t new, and it isn’t unique to Ford. Fleet managers, construction companies, and government agencies have used engine-hour metrics for decades, particularly for vehicles like police cruisers, ambulances, and work trucks that rack up hours without racking up miles.

Dealers Aren’t the Villains Here

One of the more misleading elements of the viral claim is the suggestion that dealerships are unilaterally deciding to void warranties. In reality, dealers don’t make those calls. They administer manufacturer policies. If a warranty claim is denied due to engine hours, it’s because the manufacturer’s criteria were exceeded—not because a service advisor felt like saving Ford some money that day.

That distinction matters, especially for fleet owners trying to figure out where to direct their frustration.

Is It Legal?

Yes—provided the terms are disclosed, which they generally are. Under U.S. warranty law, manufacturers must clearly state coverage limitations, but courts have consistently upheld engine-hour thresholds when they’re written into the warranty documentation. For medium-duty and commercial vehicles, those limits are often printed right alongside mileage coverage and, in some cases, even listed on the window sticker.

The real issue isn’t legality. It’s awareness.

The Real Problem: Expectations vs. Reality

The backlash surrounding the video reveals a gap between how commercial vehicles are marketed and how they’re actually covered. Many buyers still think in terms of miles alone, even when purchasing vehicles designed for severe-duty use. Engine hours feel abstract—until they suddenly matter.

For fleet operators, the takeaway isn’t that manufacturers are running a scam. It’s that idle time is not “free.” Letting a truck run all day to keep the cabin cool or power equipment has real mechanical consequences, and manufacturers have been accounting for that reality all along.

No, Ford isn’t secretly inventing mileage to get out of warranty claims. And no, this practice isn’t new, illegal, or unique. Engine hours have always been part of the equation for commercial vehicles—it’s just that social media has a way of making old policies feel like new betrayals.

If anything, the viral moment serves as a reminder: when you’re spending six figures on a work truck, the most important number may not be the one glowing on the dashboard—but the one buried in the warranty fine print.

Source: G & M Automotive via TikTok

News

Ford Thinks It Can Build the World’s Cheapest EV Motors

Ford wants to sell you an electric pickup for $30,000. Not a “starting at” fantasy stripped of wheels and dignity, but a real, midsize electric truck you can actually buy when it arrives in 2027. The secret sauce, according to Ford, isn’t magic batteries, miracle chemistry, or government fairy dust—it’s an electric motor that costs less than anything on the planet, including those made in China.

That’s the claim from Doug Field, Ford’s head of EVs and a veteran of Tesla, Apple, and the Model 3 program, who told MotorTrend that Ford’s next-generation electric motors undercut every benchmark his team could find. Yes, even the Chinese units that benefit from massive scale, aggressive automation, and labor costs Western automakers can’t touch.

If Ford is right, this motor isn’t just a component—it’s the keystone holding up the entire Universal EV project, the internal codename for Ford’s next wave of affordable electric vehicles.

Rear-Drive, All-Wheel Drive, No Funny Business

Despite earlier comments from Ford CEO Jim Farley that suggested a rear-wheel-drive-only strategy, Field clarified that Ford’s upcoming electric pickup won’t be a one-trick pony. At launch, buyers will be able to choose between rear-wheel drive and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup, both wrapped in a single four-door crew-cab body style.

Rear-drive trucks will use a permanent-magnet motor, while AWD models will add an induction motor up front—an architecture straight out of the Tesla playbook and one Field knows intimately. Battery options will also vary, letting buyers decide whether they want to prioritize price or range. In other words, Ford is aiming for flexibility without complexity—an EV unicorn if they can pull it off.

The California Skunkworks That Built It

Here’s the twist: Ford says this motor could only have been developed outside Ford.

The Universal EV program is run by a roughly 500-person team operating out of a deliberately isolated office in Long Beach, California—about as far culturally and geographically from Dearborn as you can get without crossing an ocean. The idea, Field says, was to recruit “20x contributors”—engineers capable of delivering twenty times the output of an average employee.

That talent came from places like Tesla, Rivian, and Apple, not from traditional Detroit pipelines. And rather than relying on supplier squeeze tactics—Detroit’s historic strength—this team focused on designing the motor to be cheap from the start.

No exotic materials. No moonshot tech. Just ruthless simplification, aggressive integration, and fewer parts.

Cutting Cost by Deleting Stuff Entirely

The Universal EV philosophy goes well beyond motors. Ford is rethinking how vehicles are designed, assembled, and even conceptualized, with the explicit goal of deleting cost rather than negotiating it away.

The upcoming electric truck uses:

  • 25 percent fewer fasteners than a typical vehicle
  • A wiring harness 4,000 feet shorter and 22 pounds lighter than the Mustang Mach-E’s
  • Large aluminum unicastings that replace dozens of smaller structural parts
  • A battery pack whose top surface doubles as the cabin floor

This isn’t incremental improvement—it’s Tesla-style manufacturing logic filtered through Ford’s scale and truck experience.

Faster to Build Than an Escape

Ford says the new EV will roll off the line at its Louisville, Kentucky, plant 15 percent faster than the Ford Escape that previously occupied the space. And the gain doesn’t come from robot overload. Instead, it comes from removing steps entirely.

Workstations at the plant will be cut by 40 percent, not because humans are slow, but because unnecessary tasks are expensive. It’s manufacturing minimalism, and Ford is betting it’s the only way to make a truly affordable EV in the U.S.

The Clock Is Ticking

Field believes there’s a narrow window where this approach works—before EV motors become fully commoditized and suppliers lock in their advantage. If Ford gets there first, it gains a cost edge that could last years.

If it doesn’t? Then this $30,000 electric pickup becomes just another ambitious slide deck.

But if Ford actually delivers on its promises, the Universal EV won’t just be a cheaper truck. It’ll be proof that Detroit can still out-engineer the world—when it’s willing to forget how it’s always done things.

And that might be Ford’s boldest move yet.

Source: MotorTrend