I guess my biggest concern is Ford dropping support as far as software updates on the Mach-E which would force you to trade-in for a newer model. Is anyone else concerned about this or do you think Ford continue to support older models regardless of redesigns/model refreshers?
The original Ford Sync system was introduced in 2007. It was in production for seven years (including its Ford MyTouch variants). Ford supported the last cars to use it for five years after purchase (last support ended in 2019). Every iteration of updates were specific to model years and system versions. Not the most efficient model by any means.
Sync 3 was released 2014. And is in use through this model-year 2020. Ford will probably also support this system for another five years (my assumption). It was more ubiquitous between models and years than the previous Sync version, making the systems updates more streamlined.
Sync 4 (and 4a) however, is a different game altogether. It integrates in almost every aspect of the vehicle. It has continued opportunity for revenue to Ford, with software purchases such as the CoPilot360 Active Driver Assist functionality. OtA bug fixes and component updates save money in warranty repairs. In contrast, updating the code for older versions of Sync is a big support expense, with revenue streams pretty much limited to nav map updates.
Because of this, In my opinion, I believe Ford’s support of Sync 4 will exceed its predecessors 11-12 year support cycles. This is, of course, is physically limited by the hardware of the vehicle years. Some features introduced during that time just may not work on older cars. Just like iPhone iOS releases,
References: Wikipedia, Ford