Blacksheep,
No offense my friend, but I have to agree with TMS here, as having had contact with some Performance folks with various Manufacturers over the past 30+ years I can tell you with complete certainty it is the consumer dictating what Ford, GM , Chrysler ( Stellantis ) builds and many Executives /Engineers/ Workers are just as frustrated as you are. When cars just sit on the lots and folks are gravitating to trucks and SUVs what is a business to do, continue to build what does not sell ? To Ford's credit they are still coming up with fun stuff , from Raptors, Explorer STs, to Mustangs and yes, even the Mach E GT. The regular bean counters just want plebeian stuff and there were Engineers pushing hard to make sure there was a Performance EV for the Gearhead crowd. Not seen as a triumph by many , but it was a small fight and there are many still working to win the battles for those wanting fun vehicles.
Look at Chrysler, which discontinued virtually all their cars, though they will get some back with Stellantis , and of course they have others with the Alfa, Fiat, Maserati brands with the initial merger with Fiat years back. But their cars were languishing and why build something that only sold with hefty rebates. The example of what forges along is the Charger and Challenger with their ages old platforms , updated quite successfully , and some Monster motors stuffed in them. It has worked because they have a severe Gearhead ( Tim Kuniskis ) at the helm for all automotive machines in the US.
Come to the Mustang Roundup, some year , and chat with the Ford Engineers and see how they want Performance to live and they understand the focus of the V8 Mustang and they are very, very aware it is the #1 Sports Coupe/Car in the World --- something I think , we as owners sometime forget. There are many at Ford who appreciate that and want to continue their dominance , which is good for us.
All of these companies have not forgotten us, we are the niche market that drives passion to so many other models , but the majority of buyers are purchasing trucks, SUVs, etc. You build what the consumer wants to make a profit in your commodity, and right now those are the areas of major interest. This is also the reason, though, that I do not think we will see the EV machines take over as soon as predicted , the consumer will make the decision and just like decades back when everyone thought they needed a small car, right now the market dictates buyers want trucks, trucks, and more trucks. Not surprisingly a SUV is listed by many Manufacturers in the truck category for their Marketing numbers and analysis.
There are many top Executives that are very Pro Performance , understand the Marketing Push, but do have to follow what will be purchased. Right now it makes no sense to build vehicles folks won't buy, in Plants that can't stay busy, because there is no demand. There really are many Ford folks on our side , realizing we have always been the smaller group of buyers with Performance Vehicles , but they do realize we are the influencers.