Edmunds picks Ford Lightning again as EV Truck of the Year for 2024

[Keeney]

Found this sentence to be the most telling of Edmunds point of view:

"Unlike other electric pickups — which run the gamut from lifestyle-oriented adventure vehicles to silly party pieces with supercar-challenging acceleration..."​

Interesting that CyberTruck is hardly mentioned by Edmunds:

"Or if you want a completely gonzo take on a pickup, the Tesla Cybertruck has (finally) become reality after many delays."​

​

2024 Hummer and 2024 RivianR1T are also more deeply reviewed as Finalists.

https://www.edmunds.com/top-rated/electric-truck/

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[XCeilidhX]

Well, I liked Hunter S. Thompson’s “gonzo” journalism… and Gonzo the muppet, so why wouldn’t I like the “gonzo” CT?

Seems dismissive without reason at best. I expect more professionalism from Edmunds and I find the lack thereof to be disappointing.

Having said that though no need to be a snowflake and spend any time at all worrying about what Edmunds thinks. In the end, IDGAF what Edmunds thinks.

Maybe someone can make a decal with Calvin pissing on Edmunds and along the stream it says: “Gonzo,” or something to that effect to go along with truck culture.

That’s the last bit of brainpower I’ll spend on that.

Cheers

 

[Keeney]

Seems dismissive without reason at best.

I was hoping they would compare and contrast all the vehicles so as to give readers some actual information.
Wrong of them to dismiss the Tesla as a not-a-truck even though it has the highest payload rating.

 

[Amuma]

Found this sentence to be the most telling of Edmunds point of view:

"Unlike other electric pickups — which run the gamut from lifestyle-oriented adventure vehicles to silly party pieces with supercar-challenging acceleration..."​

Interesting that CyberTruck is hardly mentioned by Edmunds:

"Or if you want a completely gonzo take on a pickup, the Tesla Cybertruck has (finally) become reality after many delays."​

​

2024 Hummer and 2024 RivianR1T are also more deeply reviewed as Finalists.

https://www.edmunds.com/top-rated/electric-truck/

Sorry but don't really need Edmunds to tell me "their" top rated basic ass truck design. Personally idgaf about Edmunds take on the CT as I am getting the truck that I want lol

 

[CyberGus]

I don't find it odd that they would omit a vehicle that's been shipping for only 5 minutes lol

Even if the Cybertruck excelled on every metric, the polarizing design would make it difficult to be an all-around top choice. At least, until it has shipped in large enough numbers to be less of a unicorn

 

[carsly]

Don't overthink it - Ford and GM likely purchase ads with Edmunds. Tesla does not.

GM barely produces any Hummer EV's:

• 2021 (Oct-Dec): 140
• 2022 (Jan-Dec): 4,890
• 2023 (Jan-Jul): 11,058

Source: https://insideevs.com/news/684720/gmc-hummer-ev-production-significantly-improved/

As for the Lightning....

The 24,000 in Lightning sales is still a small fraction of overall Ford F-series pickup sales. The F-series is Ford's best-selling product line and has been the best-selling vehicle of any kind in the United States for almost 50 years. Last year, Ford sold more than 750,000 F-series trucks.

Source: https://abc7news.com/ford-electric-vehicles-f-150-lightning-production/14352688/

It's quite possible that Tesla sells more Cybertrucks in 2024, it's first production year, than all the Lightnings and Hummers have been made to date despite their multi-year head start.

By 2025? Game over.

Ultimately, buyers pick the winners, not a few flunkies at Edmunds who have their salaries paid by big OEM ad dollars.

 

[ÆCIII]

This draws my attention about as much as Consumer Reports would.

- ÆCIII

 

[drrjv]

Maybe next year, when the hype dies down and we have more solid information. Still hoping for some TeslaFi data.

Use my referral code to get 4 weeks free (instead of the usual 2 weeks) https://www.teslafi.com/signup.php?referred=drrjv

 

[cbrtrckrsrvd112219]

How is this level losses even possible?
https://greenbuildingelements.com/f...res-70-of-ev-workers-ramps-up-gas-production/

 

[carsly]

How is this level losses even possible?
https://greenbuildingelements.com/f...res-70-of-ev-workers-ramps-up-gas-production/

It's a battle for public perception (and more Federal incentives for EV manufacturing).

It's not hard:

1. Fully load the R&D costs, expected to span hundreds of thousands of produced vehicles, into the first 25K vehicles made. Boom! Instant large losses.
2. Produce EV's that don't quite meet market needs. Clunky, slow software + energy-inefficient vehicles weighted down with legacy parts content + zero functional charging network = Magic! Consumers don't want EV's. Pro tip: consumers don't want any ill-conceived products with questionable reliability.
3. Cede your distribution to independent dealers who make the majority of their profits on service/repairs. They have strong disincentives to learn about, and sell, EV's as doing so in large numbers will hurt their businesses. Add in the upfront investments in diagnostic equipment, training, etc. to the loss of service/repair revenue and the math is all wrong. Dealers don't want to sell EV's.

Bonus points if your state legislators add in extra road taxes for EV's. It's all a misleading joke.

So while reporting staggering losses is easy, the rest takes some true art. If you've driven a modern Audi/Porsche/VW product and tried to use their apps/software you'll quickly realize it's horrendous - and that's if it even works. My Q7 lost connection to the car for 4 of the first 8 months I owned the vehicle due to a "known issue" that had no time estimate to resolution. Poor server-side engineering, it's tragic. The displays on the to-be-launched Macan EV are the same as my 2021 Q7 which were the same as what came out in that vehicle refresh in, what, 2018? The Macan EV will be a 2025 vehicle using nearly decade-old software, why?

Look, I acknowledge EV's, especially those without heat pumps, have efficiency issues in cold weather. Heavier vehicles lead to more tire wear. "refueling" on road trips is negligibly slower than ICE. BUT 97% of my charging is done using off-peak power at home. I don't have to worry about schedules for changing oil, differential fluid, transmission fluid, etc. as well as checking all the plastic and rubber bits channeling vital fluids which inevitably crack and leak after 6-10 years on the road.

If Ford and others want to cry "woe is me" to Washington let them have at it. Produce more ICE while the going is still good. If you haven't read the Innovator's Dilemma give it a glance, this is prototypical behavior from incumbents who can't see the forest for the trees. One thing history has taught us is that the incumbents who fight change will invariably lose. It's avoidable, but C-level execs want to juice their ICE-fueled bonuses and don't care about what happens in 5-10 years since they will be gone by then. It's completely rational irrational behavior.

So every time I see a headline about some OEM crying about the cost of EV's and how they lose money on every unit I wonder why they don't push the same articles to the press about how the Corvette in it's first year or two had similar (or higher) staggering losses per vehicle. Or how about their new <insert pickup truck of choice here> was completely redesigned from the ground up and also has similar, massive, losses per vehicle in the first year or two of its production run. Where are those articles?

 

[rudedawg78]

I am not clicking on that link to read a very biased review on EV trucks. They are not earning a penny off of my click!

 

[rizvend]

Found this sentence to be the most telling of Edmunds point of view:

"Unlike other electric pickups — which run the gamut from lifestyle-oriented adventure vehicles to silly party pieces with supercar-challenging acceleration..."​

Interesting that CyberTruck is hardly mentioned by Edmunds:

"Or if you want a completely gonzo take on a pickup, the Tesla Cybertruck has (finally) become reality after many delays."​

​

2024 Hummer and 2024 RivianR1T are also more deeply reviewed as Finalists.

https://www.edmunds.com/top-rated/electric-truck/

By ass. Did I spell that right?

"You led!"

 

[cvalue13]

I don't find it odd that they would omit a vehicle that's been shipping for only 5 minutes lol

Even if the Cybertruck excelled on every metric, the polarizing design would make it difficult to be an all-around top choice. At least, until it has shipped in large enough numbers to be less of a unicorn

hey!!

you missed a perfectly good opportunity to cop out!!

a few flunkies at Edmunds who have their salaries paid by big OEM ad dollars.

@CyberGus, you better start internetting better

How is this level losses even possible?
https://greenbuildingelements.com/f...res-70-of-ev-workers-ramps-up-gas-production/

How’s this level of ignorance even possible?

you understand that, calculated this way, Tesla is currently “losing” probably 10-100X of this amount on “every Cybertruck sold”

this f’ing vapid, soleless influenzas like “Viking” are the 7th circle of Idiocracy

 

[cvalue13]

I don't find it odd that they would omit a vehicle that's been shipping for only 5 minutes lol

PS: don’t forget, “and shipping only as a ‘limited edition’ at 6-figure sales prices, which can’t be purchased by anyone who hadn’t already decided to buy one the moment Musk uttered ‘available for pre order’ over four years ago’


But in all seriousness, your post above is exactly right

the CT is intentionally divisive. That’s its marketing strategy.

all other trucks are intentionally broadly agreeable. That’s their marketing strategy.

unlike Tesla, Ford has never once looked at a blank sheet of paper and said: “how do we design a truck so that people either totally love it or totally hate it?” And for good reason.

there are a lot of things to love about the CT. But anyone who doesn’t understand that the things to love, are ALSO legitimate reasons to dislike it, is living a minor delusion.

 

[jerhenderson]

PS: don’t forget, “and shipping only as a ‘limited edition’ at 6-figure sales prices, which can’t be purchased by anyone who hadn’t already decided to buy one the moment Musk uttered ‘available for pre order’ over four years ago’


But in all seriousness, your post above is exactly right

the CT is intentionally divisive. That’s its marketing strategy.

all other trucks are intentionally broadly agreeable. That’s their marketing strategy.

unlike Tesla, Ford has never once looked at a blank sheet of paper and said: “how do we design a truck so that people either totally love it or totally hate it?” And for good reason.

there are a lot of things to love about the CT. But anyone who doesn’t understand that the things to love, are ALSO legitimate reasons to dislike it, is living a minor delusion.

People tend to fear change, so the look of the CT irrationally provokes that.

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