Michigan Central Station

Tesla seems to be doing just fine, but sure, there's a "pullback".

The pullback is there, for sure, but that's not due to a lack of consumer demand. Sometimes it's just due to crappy products.

This is a concern I've had as well. MCS was supposed to be Ford's new age cars nerve center.

The saving grace is that the current headquarters (at least before covid) was overflowing into all kinds of makeshift space in surrounding Dearborn, so perhaps MCS can be of use anyway to contain overflow from the Glass House. It's certainly better than the strip malls they have rented and turned into cube farms.

The Journal's Editorial Board sure spells out Ford's dilemma at present. However, Mr. Dunville has noted immediately that Ford has "an annex or two" to their main HQ in Dearborn. To the extent those are rental properties, they could help fill up Michigan Central, even if the EV Revolution has run its course, and will remain a "niche" market such as for my well-to-do neighbors to "supplement" their gasoline powered SUV's.

Off topic, but I'm still trying to get over the electric Mustang been a SUV.

They still make quite a few conventional Mustangs including some fire-breathing 5.0 V8 models. Also, Jim Farley (CEO of Ford) has made contradicting comments that the electric Mustang Mach_E is and is not really a Mustang or part of the Mustang brand. It's all kind of silly. The battery car has nothing to do with the Mustang brand in concept, but that's not stopped virtually every car maker from slapping a sexy brand name on a family car (whether gas powered or not). Witness the Porsche and Maserati SUV.

Also back to MCS, not only was Ford over-capacity pre-Covid, so was most of Woodward Drive. I wouldn't hit the panic button on MCS yet, although I bet smart money is not developing anything else nearby.

Tadman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 7:47 am Also back to MCS, not only was Ford over-capacity pre-Covid, so was most of Woodward Drive. I wouldn't hit the panic button on MCS yet, although I bet smart money is not developing anything else nearby.

There's the problem, Mr. Dunville.

From my "drive around" last March, it seemed like Michigan Central was just an "island" sitting out there. I think the developers, i.e. Ford, had visions of King Drive being redeveloped from Woodward through Corktown, including the dormant CPA Building, out to MC.

Now at present, it appears that such may not be the case.

Tadman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 7:47 am They still make quite a few conventional Mustangs including some fire-breathing 5.0 V8 models. Also, Jim Farley (CEO of Ford) has made contradicting comments that the electric Mustang Mach_E is and is not really a Mustang or part of the Mustang brand. It's all kind of silly. The battery car has nothing to do with the Mustang brand in concept, but that's not stopped virtually every car maker from slapping a sexy brand name on a family car (whether gas powered or not). Witness the Porsche and Maserati SUV.

I have to say, I saw something a couple of weeks ago I didn't realize existed: a Shelby F-150, complete with the cobra logo.

And to get back on track, here's my favorite image of the unrestored interior of MCS...

Is that
BATMAN?

scratchyX1 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 8:21 pm Is that
BATMAN?

Yes.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2024 8:18 am it seemed like Michigan Central was just an "island" sitting out there. I think the developers, i.e. Ford, had visions of King Drive being redeveloped from Woodward through Corktown, including the dormant

You're not wrong, but what I've noticed about downtown Detroit from personal observation is (a) it's a slow development process but (b) it's an upward trend, not a downward trend, which we are so used to seeing and associating with blighted areas. All of us have seen pictures of the Waterbury branch and we naturally assume that what once was is no longer, not coming back, and headed for worse. It's a natural assumption when from 1930 to 1990 the railroad industry was in a continual state of decay and downward trend. See blight? Assume decay.

I have noticed there are more businesses on MIchigan Avenue