Technology 2020 Ford Explorer launch hardly went according to plan, company admits

If the selection of 2020 Ford Explorers at local dealer lots has seemed thin, it's not a mirage. Ford has spent months working to get its Chicago assembly plant running at full speed to churn out the full-size SUV, but along the way, things didn't quite go as planned.

© Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. All systems are go, Ford promises. Jon Wong/Roadshow

That's something that even Ford has now admitted. The Detroit News reported Monday that the automaker acknowledged its botched 2020 Explorer launch and quoted Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of automotive.

"This is a rarity," he said of the fraught launch process. He added that the company took on far too much at one time and that the operation in Chicago wasn't fully prepared for the enormous shift the new SUV brought to the plant. The latest-generation Explorer moved from a front-wheel-drive architecture to a new rear-wheel-drive platform. That's quite a challenge for any automaker to undertake in retooling.

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* 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid RWD is projected to have an EPA-estimated range of at least 500 miles per tank. Actual range will vary. A/X/Z Plan pricing, including A/X/Z Plan option pricing, is exclusively for eligible Ford Motor Company employees, friends and family members of eligible employees, and

The 2020 Explorer comes equipped with plenty of smart and capable features to prepare you for any adventure. For added assistance, Explorer comes with Ford Co-Pilot360™ Technology, a lineup of available driver-assist features designed to enhance your driving experience.

2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid: Electrified for long hauls

Alas, Ford gave the Chicago plant just 31 days to retool the facility for 2020 Explorer production. The SUV's sister model, the 2020 Lincoln Aviator, is also assembled there. In those 31 days, it trained the workforce off-site -- an abnormal move, but one executed to start production of the SUVs immediately after retooling finished.

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A/X/Z Plan pricing, including A/X/Z Plan option pricing, is exclusively for eligible Ford Motor Company employees, friends and family members of eligible employees To activate, go to www.att.com/ ford . FordPass smartphone app is compatible with select smartphone platforms available via download.

The newspaper said Ford further complicated matters by building multiple models and numerous trim levels all at once. The problems showed up almost immediately. Roadshow reported in September on multiple issues both the new Explorer and Aviator faced. The automaker, at the time, assured all was well, even as the SUVs were shipped from Chicago to the Flat Rock plant in Michigan for additional quality control.

© Jon Wong/Roadshow

The automaker confirmed with the newspaper that repairs were made at the Michigan plant before the SUVs were finally shipped out to dealers. Ford told Roadshow in September that the Chicago plant afforded no space for the additional quality control to take place.

The results put Ford in a tough spot. Explorer sales are down 50% for the third quarter as the automaker quickly ran out of the hot-selling SUV at dealers. Now, however, the company said it's back on track and ready to make up for lost ground. According to the report, these days there's an SUV rolling out of the factory in Chicago nearly every minute.

Ford didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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© Provided by Bauer XCEL Media Germany KG Ford Explorer (2019) The new Ford Explorer (2019) comes back to Europe after two decades. What we can expect from the SUV, should clarify the first test drive! After a break of 20 years, the new Ford Explorer (2019) plays a role for us Europeans again - the SUV celebrates its comeback on this side of the pond, which makes the first test drive with it all the more interesting. Speaking of interesting: With soon ten million cars in just over 30 years is the Explorer for the Americans, what the Golf is for us. Since 1990, the first generation came on the market, the off-roader is at the top of the approvals. Now he should also move to the top in Europe, at least that of the local model range, and as a standard seven-seater at the same time succeeding Galaxy and S-Max compete whose days are numbered. While the new Ford Explorer in the US for the equivalent of barely more than 30,000 euros goes on sale, it should cost quickly with the appropriate equipment twice. What we get for it, is now to clarify the first test drive. More on the subject: The Ford Kuga in the endurance testThe new Ford Explorer blows up all the dimensions known from European Ford models. >> More on the subject FahrberichtMit 5.05 by 2.28 meters, the SUV in the less-windy United States may still go through as a mid-size truck, with us you have to but first force the giant through the streets. In the front row The passengers sit in huge leather armchairs and in the second there is head and knee freedom on E-Class level. There are also a smooth dozen cup holders, shelves with together 123 liters capacity and wherever you look, for each handle an electric helper. Gimmicks such as particularly fast-charging USB sockets, a Wifi hotspot and a wireless charging cradle complete the dream car of frequent travelers. If you want to save yourself from climbing the surprisingly comfortable folding seats in the third row, the furniture disappears into the floor at the push of a button Luggage compartment rather to a cargo plane, because of an SUV - finally it holds up to 2274 liters. For us, the off-roader will be exclusively plug-in hybrids - for the first time at Ford in Europe. For this, the Ford combines a 3.0-liter and 350-hp V6 petrol engine with a 100-hp electric motor and a 13.1 kWh battery. Read More