How badly do you want a new rear-wheel-drive (RWD) sedan from legacy automaker Ford (F)? Bad enough to accept a whole slew of conditions? That is the question Ford is asking of drivers as it seems “no boring cars” is about to get a bit of a reality check. Investors, however, were all in favor, and sent shares up fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
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It is, indeed, hard to find a “regular car” from American automakers these days, who seem to have all but completely shifted to SUVs and trucks. Between that market imperative and the “no boring car” notion from Ford, finding a simple, reliable car is a tough prospect. And as used cars in this vein run out, Ford is looking to revive the notion, but not without conditions.
Ford is considering bringing back the simple rear-wheel-drive sedan once more, but will only do so as an all-electric vehicle. Given that Ford recently made advances in electric vehicle production with its “affordable EV” project that allows multiple form factors from the same underlying platform, this opens up an opportunity for the sedan to make a comeback.
For Anyone Who Ever Forgot Where They Parked
Another exciting Ford patent that may never see the light of day emerged, and this one is an impressive little idea. It is called an “automated valet parking system,” filed in May and approved in November. Basically, the valet parking system would allow a car to be controlled remotely and driven to a new location where the owner is waiting to get in.
This is not the first time Ford has tried this; autonomous Ford Escapes were previously shown able to park themselves. So the idea that the car could perform in reverse—leave a parking place and proceed to the car’s owner—is not out of line. Naturally, this is still just a patent, and may never be put to use. But the idea that the car always remembers where it parked could be a welcome one indeed.
Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on two Buys, nine Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 20.67% rally in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $12.63 per share implies 3.48% downside risk.
