Definitive Proof Ford Maverick Is Smaller Than Ranger, And By How Much
Very interesting. While the marketing team is trying to convince the world that the Bronco is a serious off-roader, the Maverick is being built on the same platform as a bargain truck hitting the market under $20k. Both are Escapes at heart.
We have known that Ford will slot the new Maverick below the Ranger in its lineup. However, we didn't know how much smaller it'd actually be. Thankfully, a new set of spy shots has captured the two pickups out testing together, revealing a noticeable size difference between them. The Ranger is no behemoth, though the Maverick shrinks in its presence, giving us a good idea of the Maverick's dimensions for the first time.
The Maverick will ride on Ford's C2 platform, which also underpins the Bronco Sport and Escape, making its small size unsurprising. The Maverick is both narrower and shorter than the Ranger it's sitting next to in the photos. That'll translate into a smaller cabin, a smaller bed, and a shorter ride height, though the Maverick still looks plenty capable. The Maverick and Bronco Sport share a similar boxy front end with a shared design ethos, though the similarities extend beyond looks.
Gallery: Ford Maverick Spy Shots With Ford Ranger
10 Photos
The Maverick is expected to use the same powertrains offered in the Bronco Sport, giving customers a choice between a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder or a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Considering the Maverick's pickup truck status, it'll likely get some of the Bronco Sport's more robust off-road parts and options, too. The Ranger has one engine – a larger turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder – that makes 270 horsepower (201 kilowatts) compared to the 2.0-liter's 250 hp (186 kW).
The Latest Maverick News
We shouldn't be waiting much longer for Ford to reveal its new small pickup. It's been spotted out and about without a lick of camouflage, and that was after we learned that Ford had begun producing some pre-production models earlier this year. The Maverick will bolster Ford's dwindling lineup of cheaper entry-level models that have disappeared with its shift from sedans to crossover, trucks, and SUVs. It'll reportedly have a starting price below $20,000, though there'll be plenty of extras to add like the alleged Timberline trim model.
Source: KGP Photography
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
Party Crashers: Ford Bronco Concepts Show Up at Jeep's Biggest Event in Moab
I've said this before... the Bronco is not a rival to the Wrangler. It's a front wheel car with an AWD system that needs a lot of work before it can really perform. I'm still reading that test drivers and now owners are having the system overheat and shut down with mild obstacles. But by all means let the marketers show up at the Jamborees and show off their sheet metal, just buyer beware.
If you consider yourself a true off-roader, then you're definitely aware of Easter Jeep Safari. Heck, you might even be in Moab right now with the rest of the four-wheeling fanatics. Should that be the case, look out for a fleet of custom Ford Broncos who just so happen to be trawling around Hell's Gate at the same time as Jeep's wild Wrangler and Gladiator concepts.
Ford announced that it's officially teaming up with RTR Vehicles, ARB 4x4 Accessories, and 4 Wheel Parts for aftermarket Bronco goodies. As part of that announcement, a caravan of Broncos stormed Moab for what Ford called the "Easter Safari" event, intentionally leaving out the Jeep tidbit. That's sure to spark some funny looks from the Wrangler diehards because as we've seen already online, they're wheeling right beside one another.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
After living in the city for four months, I really miss the peace and quiet of living on the ranch. I am catching up on all my YouTube and streaming services though!
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
Global shipping was a mess before Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal - CNN
Dealing with the general public daily, I'm shocked that the common person doesn't understand global commerce. When shipping costs quadruple in a year, time for travel also doubles in the same time, most people go into a store and get upset when that $10 item is out of stock on the shelves.
So I did a little math, the Ever Given the container ship that run a ground in the Suez Canal holds 20k containers, they charge $4700 per container... that's $94 million dollars in shipping fees. Just the one ship. That's not counting the two hundred other ships waiting for passage.
I'm going to make a prediction. Our convenience lifestyle is going to be challenging the next 20-24 months, but that's just my opinion.
Global shipping was in chaos even before the Suez blockage. Shortages and higher prices loom
One of the world's most vital trade arteries has been blocked by a quarter-mile-long container ship, creating a traffic jam that has ensnared over 200 vessels and could take weeks to clear.
Buteven before the Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal earlier this week, global supply chains were being stretched to the limits, making it much more expensive to move goods around the world and causing shortages of everything from exercise bikes to cheese at a time of unprecedented demand.
A prolonged closure of the key route between West and East could make matters much worse. Costly delays or diversions to longer routes will heap pressure on businesses that are already facing container shortages, port congestion and capacity constraints.
The grounding of the Ever Given is delaying shipments of consumer goods from Asia to Europe and North America, and agricultural products moving in the opposite direction. As of Friday, some 237 vessels, including oil tankers and dozens of container ships, were waiting to transit the canal, which handles about 12% of global trade.
"There's been a great convergence of constraints in supply chains like I've never seen before," said Bob Biesterfeld, the CEO of C.H. Robinson, one of the world's largest logistics firms. The bottlenecks are widespread, affecting transport by air, ocean and road, Biesterfeld told CNN Business in an interview. "It really has been unprecedented."
The Ever Given turned sideaways in Egypt's Suez Canal on Tuesday, blocking traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping.
Freight costs soaring
More than 80% of global trade by volume is moved by sea, and the disruptions are adding billions of dollars to supply chain costs. Globally, the average cost to ship a 40-foot container shot up from $1,040 last June to $4,570 on March 1, according to S&P Global Platts.
Those costs add up. In February, container shipping costs for seaborne US goods imports totaled $5.2 billion, compared to $2 billion during the same month in 2020, according to S&P Global Panjiva.
These expenses could soon mean higher prices for consumers, adding upward pressure to rising inflation — a nightmare scenario for Wall Street, which is already fearful that a spike in prices could force the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates sooner than expected.
"At the moment a lot of these costs are within the supply chains," said Chris Rogers, a research analyst at S&P Global Panjiva. "I think it's inevitable that it will be passed on to consumers — it's just going to take time," he added.
An aerial view on February 22 of Yangshan Port south of Shanghai, one of the world's busiest container shipping ports.
The coronavirus wreaked havoc on global supply chains last year, as lockdowns temporarily closed factories and disrupted the normal flow of trade. Economic activity slowed dramatically at the start of the pandemic, and the rapid rebound in trade volumes that followed caught companies off guard.
A pickup in manufacturing and seemingly insatiable demand from housebound consumers for goods such as televisions, furniture and exercise bikes has stretched suppliers and made it difficult for consumers to find the products they'd like to buy.
Manufacturers have also struggled to secure crucial components. Major carmakers, including Ford(F) and Volkswagen(VLKAF), have been forced to idle factories because of a shortage of computer chips caused by high demand for smartphones, gaming systems and other tech gadgets.
"One year ago, global trade slowed to a crawl as the Covid-19 pandemic first hit China and then spread worldwide," Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles, said in a presentation this month. "Today, we are in the seventh month of a historic import surge, driven by unprecedented demand by American consumers," he added.
US seaborne imports were nearly 30% higher in February than the same month last year and 20% up on February 2019, according to S&P Global Panjiva.
The import surge in the United States and elsewhere has led to a worldwide container shortage. Everything from cars and machinery to apparel and other consumer staples are shipped in these metal boxes. The factories that make them are mostly in China and many of them closed early in the pandemic, slowing down the rate at which new capacity was coming on stream, according to Rogers.
Containers are in all the wrong places
China's exports recovered fairly quickly compared to the rest of the world. At the same time, major shipping lines had canceled dozens of sailings to respond to the earlier lull in trade. The result was that empty containers piled up in all the wrong places and couldn't meet the sudden demand in Europe and North America for Asia-made goods.
Hapag-Lloyd(HPGLY), one of the world's largest container shipping lines, has deployed about 52 additional vessels just to move hundreds of thousands of empty containers to where they're needed most. In more normal times, there would be fewer than 10.
"That's in reality about a ship a week that's doing nothing more than moving empty containers," CEO Rolf Habben Jansen told investors on a call last week.
Ships sit off the coast of Seal Beach, California on January 26, 2021.
The influx of imports has compounded problems at choked up ports, which are contending with labor shortages due to Covid-19 and a slowdown in operations caused by social distancing measures and quarantines.
On Wednesday, there were two dozen vessels at anchor awaiting entry into either the Port of Los Angeles or the neighboring Port of Long Beach, according to Port of Los Angeles spokesperson, Phillip Sanfield.
"At the Port of Los Angeles, we are actively working on an additional 17 container ships," Sanfield told CNN Business. "Pre-pandemic, we would be working about 10 container ships with no container ships waiting to enter."
The port processed the equivalent of nearly 800,000 20-foot containers last month — the busiest February in its 114-year history.
Companies feel the strain
Companies from Under Armour(UA) and Hasbro(HAS) to Dollar Tree(DLTR), Urban Outfitters(URBN) and Crocs(CROX) have all warned about the supply chain crunch recently, pointing to container shortages, port congestion, rising shipping costs and logistics challenges.
Costco(COST) said earlier this month that it was having trouble stocking imported cheeses because of a shortage of shipping containers and bottlenecks.
An analysis of 7,000 company earnings calls globally in January and February by S&P Global Panjiva found that more than a quarter mentioned "freight," 37% mentioned "logistics" and half discussed supply chains.
"We know that the freight pressure across retail is here to stay and we've built that into our future plans," Mark Tritton, the CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond(BBBY), told investors in January.
Aston Chemicals, a UK company that supplies European manufacturers of personal care products, said its shipping costs were 6.5 times more expensive in January compared to November.
"We paid almost $14,000 for a container in January," said managing director Dani Loughran. That was for a shipment from Malaysia to the port of Felixstowe in England, which just two months earlier had cost $2,100.
Peloton blamed US West Coast port delays for causing "longer than acceptable wait times" for the delivery of its high-end exercise bikes. The company told shareholders in February that it's investing over $100 million to expedite deliveries by air and sea over the next six months to improve delivery times.
It's not the only firm resorting to airplanes to move goods that would ordinarily come by boat, as companies scramble to keep up with customer demand.
According to Biesterfeld of C.H. Robinson, a number of durable goods typically transported in shipping containers are being carried in planes, such as toys and games. Companies are "choosing air freight because inventories are so low," he said.
Air freight is more expensive than ocean freight even under normal circumstances and therefore reserved for high-value goods. These costs are even higher at the moment because fewer flights carrying travelers means less available capacity to transport goods, a chunk of which are typically carried in the bellies of passenger planes.
That will only add to the costs facing businesses and could trickle down to consumers before long.
Higher prices on the way
Companies have so far said very little about how they plan to respond to soaring freight rates but there are early signs that import prices are rising. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US import prices experienced their largest monthly increase in January since March 2012.
"We anticipate strong demand from consumers to continue over the next couple of months and don't see meaningful change in capacity over that short time period," said Biesterfeld.
The cost to move goods by air, ocean, truck and train is now "structurally up" on 2019 and contracts reflect that, he added. "I do think the costs are real and eventually will manifest themselves for consumers," he said.
The extent to which this feeds through to consumer prices will vary from one product to the next. Goods that rely more heavily on imported components will likely cost more. At the same time, if the cost of imported goods rises significantly or these products become less readily available, that could give domestic producers more leeway to increase prices, said Joanna Konings, a senior economist at ING.
Commerzbank analysts said in a note to clients on Friday that the Suez snarl up could cause oil to become more expensive for consumers because of higher tanker rates as a result of the incident.
A satellite image shows the Ever Given and idling ships at the entrance of the Suez Canal.
For Aston Chemicals, the cost increases were so severe that the only option was to pass them on to their customers: businesses that make everyday products such as shampoos, moisturizers and cosmetics.
If those companies in turn decide to hike prices for their customers, in this case retailers, consumers could start to feel the pinch soon, said Konings.
"Most prices along the supply chain have gone in one direction, and that's up, so it has to appear somewhere."
Grand Marnier has an air of mystery, doesn't it? The fancy French name. The funky-shaped bottle with ribbon and wax seal. But don't shy away from this classic orange liqueur. Most commonly used for making top-shelf margaritas, Grand Marnier is a decadent addition to many cocktail recipes.
Louis-Alexandre Marnier, a distiller, had a crazy idea. He would combine a French cognac base with a rare Caribbean variety of bitter orange peels and sugar. The first decadent sip of Grand Marnier was taken by Parisians in the late 1880s. They all screamed "Ooh la la!" and the word spread throughout soirees and boozy brunches around the world. It was enjoyed sipped over ice cubes as well as poured into cocktail shakers with vermouth, angostura bitters, or fresh orange juice.
Today Grand Marnier is used as a higher quality replacement for triple sec or orange curaçao in many classic cocktails. Grand Marnier gives a depth of flavor and richness you just can't quite get with other orange liqueurs that don't have the cognac base or craftsmanship of this delicious liqueur.
What Else Can I Make With Grand Marnier?
It works in everything from carbonated club soda-based cocktails to cream-based drinks. Pro Tip: Grand Marnier makes an amazing cream sauce for shrimp or chicken! Try it with ginger beer even classic Coca-Cola.
But let's get back to booze. Take a look at some of these Grand Marnier cocktails. Beret optional.
1. Cadillac Margarita
You'll need: Grand Marnier, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup.
This classic cocktail is made with cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. Serve it in a martini glass with a lemon garnish, Sugar the rim to balance the puckery sour flavor.
Mix Grand Marnier with Prosecco pairing citrus notes with lots of bubbles. Add an orange twist and it's a fancy cocktail that takes only minutes to make! It's a revved-up Mimosa essentially.
Carrie Bradshaw and Sex In The City made the Cosmopolitan's popularity skyrocket. The orange slice garnish. The martini glass. The beautiful cranberry juice infused color. Glam it up New York Style with this cocktail.
Gin. Love it or hate it. I choose to love it in this gin-based cocktail using vermouth. Play with the ratios as you like. It's your drink, after all. *Replace the green Chartreuse in this recipe with Grand Marnier to make it the Grand Bijou.
