Skunkworks Ford is attempting to drive engineering and manufacturing forward with its announcement of the new Ford Universal EV Platform and Ford Universal EV Production System on Monday. Born of a "skunkworks" team based in California, the team created a simple, efficient, and flexible ecosystem to deliver a family of affordable, electric, and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Ford placed a big bet on its "skunkworks" team developing a low-cost universal EV platform, but will it turn investors into million ...

Group 1: Tesla's Challenges - Tesla's stock is under pressure due to CEO's focus on downsizing the U.S. government and facing multiple business headwinds [1] - The company is losing first-mover advantages and favorable consumer sentiment, with loyal customers not purchasing new cars as before [2] - Protests at Tesla sites and record vehicle trade-ins are negatively impacting the company's outlook [1][2] Group 2: Competitors Gaining Ground - BMW is emerging as a leading competitor, improving its EV fleet and expected to grow EV sales from less than 20% of revenue in 2024 to 50% by 2030 [2] - Toyota's hybrid RAV4 offers a combination of reduced emissions and increased range, appealing to dissatisfied Tesla owners [5] - Lucid Group is positioned to benefit from Tesla's decline, with its Air lineup offering luxury features and production of the Gravity model underway [9] Group 3: Analyst Sentiment - Analysts have a hold rating on BMW, but there is potential for a high-single-digit upside in stock price [3] - Lucid Group also holds a hold rating, but there are signs of improvement in analyst sentiment and institutional buying trends [10]