Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association (CMA), has announced that she will retire at the end of 2026, bringing to a close a 12-year tenure leading one of the most influential trade organizations in the US music industry.
She will work with CMA’s board and senior leadership during the transition period. CMA’s Board of Directors has formed a search committee and appointed executive search firm Buffkin Baker to lead the process of identifying Trahern’s successor. Further details on the search are expected to be announced in February.
During her time in the role, the organization advanced its mission to heighten the awareness of Country Music and support its ongoing growth, both domestically and internationally.
Under her leadership, CMA has deepened its commitment to its members – artists, songwriters, touring personnel, and all professionals across the creative and business sectors – ensuring the association remains grounded in service to the people who power Country Music.
“After much reflection, I’ve made the decision to retire and embrace this next chapter of life – one that allows me to remain connected to this industry in ways that continue to inspire me, while also creating space for the people and moments that matter most to me.”
Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association
CMA’s major television and live-event properties, including the CMA Awards, CMA Fest, and CMA Country Christmas, continued to operate as core drivers of visibility for the genre during Trahern’s tenure. The events are broadcast on ABC and form a central part of CMA’s commercial and cultural footprint.
In a statement, Trahern said: “Leading the Country Music Association has been the privilege of my career. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together in service of this industry and its people, and deeply grateful for the community that makes Country Music what it is. After much reflection, I’ve made the decision to retire and embrace this next chapter of life – one that allows me to remain connected to this industry in ways that continue to inspire me, while also creating space for the people and moments that matter most to me, including time with my husband, Wayne, getting outdoors, and simple nights at home with our dog, Riley.”
“Her influence has shaped not only CMA but the future of Country Music itself.”
Jay Williams, Co-Head and Partner at WME and Chair of CMA’s Board
During Trahern’s leadership, CMA increased its investment in industry-facing programs, including initiatives responding to COVID-19-related disruption, natural disasters, and mental health challenges within the music workforce.
At the same time, CMA has strengthened its global engagement, with Trahern guiding efforts to deepen connections in key international markets and elevate Country Music’s presence worldwide.
Trahern also serves as President of the CMAFoundation, the organization’s philanthropic arm focused on music education. According to CMA, the foundation has invested more than $30 million in music education initiatives to date, supported in part by proceeds from CMA Fest.
Prior to joining CMA, Trahern held senior roles across television and media, including positions at C-SPAN, The Nashville Network (TNN), and as General Manager of Great American Country (GAC).
Her industry recognition includes being named Billboard’s Country Power Players Executive of the Year in 2017 and receiving the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award from the Grand Ole Opry in 2024.
Jay Williams, Co-Head and Partner at WME and Chair of CMA’s Board, said Trahern’s leadership had left “an indelible mark” on both the organization and the wider country music industry.
“While we will deeply miss Sarah’s leadership, we are excited to carry forward the legacy she has established. Sarah leaves behind an indelible mark on both the Country Music Association and the broader industry. Her influence has shaped not only CMA but the future of Country Music itself.”Music Business Worldwide
China quietly mobilized thousands of fishing boats twice in recent weeks to form massive floating barriers of at least 200 miles long, showing a new level of coordination that could give Beijing more ways to impose control in contested seas.
The two recent operations unfolded largely unnoticed. An analysis of ship-tracking data by The New York Times reveals the scale and complexity of the maneuvers for the first time.
Last week, about 1,400 Chinese vessels abruptly dropped their usual fishing activities or sailed out of their home ports and congregated in the East China Sea. By Jan. 11, they had assembled into a rectangle stretching more than 200 miles. The formation was so dense that some approaching cargo ships appeared to skirt around them or had to zigzag through, ship-tracking data showed.
Ship formation on Jan. 11
Note: Ships are represented by their last known positions on 2 p.m. on Jan. 11 local time.
Maritime and military experts said the maneuvers suggested that China was strengthening its maritime militia, which is made up of civilian fishing boats trained to join in military operations. They said the maneuvers show that Beijing can rapidly muster large numbers of the boats in disputed seas.
The Jan. 11 maneuver followed a similar operation last month, when about 2,000 Chinese fishing boats assembled in two long, parallel formations on Christmas Day in the East China Sea. Each stretched 290 miles long, about the distance from New York City to Buffalo, forming a reverse L shape, ship-position data indicates. The two gatherings, weeks apart in the same waters, suggested a coordinated effort, analysts said.
Ship formation on Dec. 25
Note: Ships are represented by their last known positions on at 10 p.m. on Dec. 25 local time.
The unusual formations were spotted by Jason Wang, the chief operating officer of ingeniSPACE, a company that analyzes data, and were independently confirmed by The Times using ship-location data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘This is not right’,” he said, describing his response when he spotted the fishing boats on Christmas Day. “I mean I’ve seen like a couple hundred — let’s say high hundreds,” he said, referring to Chinese boats he has previously tracked, “but nothing of this scale or of this distinctive formation.”
In a conflict or crisis, for instance over Taiwan, China could mobilize tens of thousands of civilian ships, including fishing boats, to clog sea lanes and complicate military and supply operations of its opponents.
Chinese fishing boats would be too small to effectively enforce a blockade. But they could possibly obstruct movement by American warships, said Lonnie Henley, a former U.S. intelligence officer who has studied China’s maritime militia.
The masses of the smaller boats could also act “as missile and torpedo decoys, overwhelming radars or drone sensors with too many targets,” said Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. naval officer now at the Center for a New American Security.
Analysts tracking the ships were struck by the scale of the maneuvers, even given China’s record of mobilizing civilian boats, which has involved anchoring boats for weeks on contested reefs, for instance, to project Beijing’s claims in territorial disputes.
“The sight of that many vessels operating in concert is staggering,” said Mark Douglas, an analyst at Starboard, a company with offices in New Zealand and the United States. Mr. Douglas said that he and his colleagues had “never seen a formation of this size and discipline before.”
“The level of coordination to get that many vessels into a formation like this is significant,” he said.
The assembled boats held relatively steady positions, rather than sailing in patterns typical of fishing, such as paths that loop or go back and forth, analysts said. The ship-location data draws on navigation signals broadcast by the vessels.
Note: Ship paths are based on position data starting from 10 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2026, local time.
The operations appeared to mark a bold step in China’s efforts to train fishing boats to gather en masse, in order to impede or monitor other countries’ ships, or to help Beijing assert its territorial claims by establishing a perimeter, said Mr. Wang of ingeniSPACE.
“They’re scaling up, and that scaling indicates their ability to do better command and control of civilian ships,” he said.
The Chinese government has not said anything publicly about the fishing boats’ activities. The ship-signals data appeared to be reliable and not “spoofed” — that is, manipulated to create false impressions of the boats’ locations — Mr. Wang and Mr. Douglas both said.
Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, when approached by The Times with these findings, confirmed that they had observed the same packs of boats with their own ship-location analysis.
“They are almost certainly not fishing, and I can’t think of any explanation that isn’t state-directed,” Gregory Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at C.S.I.S., wrote in emailed comments.
The fishing boats assembled in the East China Sea, near major shipping lanes that branch out from Shanghai, among the world’s busiest ports. Cargo ships crisscross the sea daily, including ones carrying Chinese exports to the United States.
These are maritime arteries that China would seek to control in a clash with the United States or its Asian allies, including in a possible crisis over Taiwan, the island-democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.
“My best guess is this was an exercise to see how the civilians would do if told to muster at scale in a future contingency, perhaps in support of quarantine, blockade, or other pressure tactics against Taiwan,” Mr. Poling wrote. A “quarantine” means a sea operation to seal off an area that is meant to fall short of an act of war.
The boat maneuvers in January took place shortly after Beijing held two days of military exercises around Taiwan, including practicing naval maneuvers to blockade the island. Beijing is also in a bitter dispute with Japan over its support for Taiwan.
The fishing boat operations could have been held to signal “opposition to Japan” or practice for possible confrontations with Japan or Taiwan, said Andrew S. Erickson, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who studies China’s maritime activities. He noted that he spoke for himself, not for his college or the navy.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense and coast guard both declined to comment on the Chinese fishing boats, citing the need to protect their information-gathering capabilities.
Some of the fishing boats had taken part in previous maritime militia activities or belonged to fishing fleets known to be involved in militia activities, based on a scan of Chinese state media reports. China does not publish the names of most vessels in its maritime militia, making it difficult to identify the status of the boats involved.
But the tight coordination of the boats showed it was probably “an at-sea mobilization and exercise of maritime militia forces,” Professor Erickson said.
Chinese-flagged ships anchored in contested waters of the South China Sea in 2023.Jes Aznar for The New York Times
China has in recent years used maritime militia fishing boats in dozens or even hundreds to support its navy, sometimes by swarming, maneuvering dangerously close, and physically bumping other boats in disputes with other countries.
The recent massing of boats appeared to show that maritime militia units are becoming more organized and better equipped with navigation and communications technology.
“It does mark an improvement in their ability to marshal and control a large number of militia vessels,” said Mr. Henley, the former U.S. intelligence officer, who is now a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. “That’s one of the main challenges to making the maritime militia a useful tool for either combat support or sovereignty protection.”
Choe Sang-Hun contributed reporting from Seoul and Javier C. Hernández and Kiuko Notoya contributed reporting from Tokyo.
Data source: Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
About the data: We analyzed automatic identification systems (AIS) data of ships that broadcast positions near the formation in the 24-hour periods of Dec. 25, 2025 and Jan. 11, 2026 that either follow China’s fishing ship naming convention or are registered as China-flagged fishing vessels. Ships do not always transmit information and may transmit incorrect information. The positions shown in maps are last known positions at the specific times.
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Oliver Glasner, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, confirms he will leave Crystal Palace.
Oliver Glasner will not extend his contract with Crystal Palace , which is due to expire at the end of the season, the Austrian manager has confirmed.
“A decision has already been taken, months ago. I had a meeting with Steve [Parish] in October, the international break,” Glasner told reporters on Friday.
“We had a very long talk, and I told him I will not sign a new contract. We agreed at the time, it was the best to keep it between us. It’s the best that we could do, and keep it confidential for three months.
“But now it’s important to have clarity, and we had a very busy schedule, so that’s why we didn’t want to talk about it. Steve and I want the best for Crystal Palace.”
Palace are 13th in the league standings with 28 points from 21 matches and travel to Sunderland on Saturday.
Man City set to confirm Guehi capture from Crystal Palace
Manchester City are understood to agreed a deal in principle to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as they battle a defensive crisis.
The England defender was close to joining Liverpool on transfer deadline day in September before the move collapsed.
Other clubs reportedly interested in Guehi, including Liverpool once again and Bayern Munich, were understood to be targeting a move at the end of the season, when Guehi was due to be a free agent.
Pep Guardiola, speaking on the eve of City’s match against Manchester United, was tight-lipped when asked about the club’s potential interest in Guehi, stressing he had “nothing to say”.
Palace travel to Sunderland on Saturday, where Glasner will not be able to call upon defender Guehi.
The 25-year-old was linked with a move to Manchester City earlier on Friday, with British media reporting that a deal had been agreed in principle.
Asked about Guehi’s future, Glasner said, “I can’t confirm the club because it is not done, but is in the final stages, and the result is Marc doesn’t play tomorrow for us.”
Guehi captained Palace to FA Cup success in May against City and has won 26 England caps.
City boss Guardiola, whose team are second in the Premier League, six points behind Arsenal, said the team were desperately short of defensive options.
“Without John [Stones], without Ruben [Dias], without Josko [Gvardiol], we are in a difficult situation for not one game but a long, long period,” he said.
“It’s a difficult situation. Ruben will be back soon. Josko, no. John, hopefully, we’ll see.”
Mark Carney’s visit to Chins is the first by a Canadian leader in nearly a decade
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Canadian PM Mark Carney have announced lower tariffs, signalling a reset in their countries’ relationship after a key meeting in Beijing.
China is expected to lower levies on Canadian canola oil from 85% to 15% by 1 March, while Ottawa has agreed to tax Chinese electric vehicles at the most-favoured-nation rate, 6.1%, Carney told reporters.
The deal is a breakthrough after years of strained ties and tit-for-tat levies. Xi hailed the “turnaround” in their relationship but it is also a win for Carney, the first Canadian leader to visit China in nearly a decade.
He has been trying to diversify Canadian trade away from the US, his country’s biggest trading partner, following the uncertainty caused by Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs.
The deal could also see more Chinese investments in Canada, right on America’s doorstep.
Carney himself seemed to allude to the fact that this was a result of Trump’s tariffs, which have now pushed one of the US’s key allies towards its biggest rival.
He told reporters that Canada’s relationship with China had been more “predictable” in recent months and that he found talks with Beijing “realistic and respectful”.
He also made clear Ottawa does not agree with Beijing on everything, adding that in his discussions with Xi he made clear Canada’s “red lines”, including human rights, concerns over election interference and the need for “guardrails”.
“We take the world as it is – not as we wish it to be,” he said when asked about China’s human rights record.
Observers believe Carney’s visit could set an example for other countries across the world who are also feeling the pain from Washington’s tariffs.
In contrast, Xi has been trying to show that China is a stable global partner and has been urging more pragmatic ties – in the words of Beijing, “a win-win” for all.
And it seems to be working. The South Korean president and the Irish prime minister have both visited Beijing in recent weeks. The UK prime minister is expected to visit soon and so is the German Chancellor.
Carney said the “world has changed dramatically” and how Canada positions itself “will shape our future for decades to come,” he added.
Earlier in his three-day visit, he had said that the Canada-China partnership sets the two countries up for a “new world order”. He later added that the multilateral system had been “eroded, to use a polite term, or undercut”.
As the Chinese and Canadian delegations sat down in the Great Hall of the People on Friday, Xi said: “The healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations is conducive to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity.”
Getty Images
Carney in the Great Hall of the People during the meeting with Xi
A trade reset
Tariffs have been a key sticking point between the two sides.
In 2024, Canada imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, following similar US curbs.
Last year, Beijing retaliated with tariffs on more than $2bn (£1.5bn) of Canadian farm and food products like canola seed and oil. As a result Chinese imports of Canadian goods fell by 10% in 2025.
In the deal struck on Friday, Canada will allow only 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market at the 6.1% tariff rate.
The cap is in response to Canadian automakers’ fears of an influx of affordable Chinese EVs.
As well as relief for canola producers, there will also be reduced tariffs on Canadian lobsters, crabs, and peas.
China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner but it’s still a long way behind the US in volume.
Economic ties with China are increasingly important for Carney. On arrival in Beijing on Wednesday, he met senior executives from prominent Chinese businesses, including an electric vehicle battery maker and an energy giant.
On Thursday the two countries signed several agreements on energy and trade cooperation.
The visit is a “reset of a relationship” that may be “modest in ambition” but “much more realistic about what we can reasonably obtain”, said Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat and vice-president at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
A frosty history
The last Canadian PM to visit China was Justin Trudeau, who met Xi in Beijing in 2017.
That visit took place before the relationship soured in 2018, following Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer at the Chinese tech giant Huawai, at the request of the US.
Days later, China detained Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on espionage charges – a move critics saw as retaliation for Meng’s arrest, which China denied.
Meng and both Michaels were released in 2021.
Ahead of the Carney-Xi meeting, Michael Kovrig wrote on X that the visit should not just be about warming ties but also “managing leverage”.
Kovrig described Chinese negotiators as “extremely adroit, calculating, and always looking for leverage”.
“That’s why engagement has to be handled with discipline,” he wrote, adding that Carney should also advocate for Canadians imprisoned in China. There are about 100 of them, according to Canadian media.
Speaking to reporters, Carney was clear that with countries that do not share the same values, Ottawa will engage on a “narrower, more specific” manner.
“We’re very clear about where we cooperate, where we differ,” he said, adding that Chinese claims over self-governed Taiwan and Hong Kong’s jailed pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai came up in “broad discussions”.
Canada and China have “different systems”, he said, which limits the breadth of their cooperation.
“But to have an effective relationship, we have direct conversations. We don’t grab a megaphone and have the conversations that way.”
Jamie Dimon’s ethos on running a company is pretty simple: Be relentless, and don’t overlook the details. When organizations get too comfortable and begin ignoring the fine print, he said, is when complacency sets in, and a business begins to decay.
With more than 300,000 employees worldwide, the CEO of America’s largest bank can’t be across every issue in the company—which is why he believes this diligence needs to be instilled at every level.
Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Dimon was asked how he had made JP better than “every other bank in the world,” a take which its CEO immediately disagreed with: “a lot of people do things better,” he began.
That reflection is “one of the reasons we sometimes do better a little bit,” Dimon added, explaining: “I’m relentless: Details, facts, analysis, no bulllshitting, no meetings after meetings, share all the information—put it on the table, put the dead cats on the table—go through system by system by system, get out on the road, visit other companies, they all do things better than you.”
The overall message is to “learn, learn, learn”, a mantra the Wall Street veteran has advised for everyone from Gen Z’s entering the job market to those in leadership.
“Big companies slow down, they become complacent, they become bureaucratic … arrogant,” Dimon added, all of which eventually leads to “stasis and death.” “Huge, wonderful companies” have failed because of this pitfall, Dimon said, and as such “nothing is too small to care about.”
Watchers of the 69-year-old’s career will not be surprised by his energetic leadership advice. Last April, Dimon wrote in his letter to shareholders that he runs the bank with a military tactic in mind named the ‘OODA loop,’ which stands for observe, orient, decide, act.
JP without Jamie
Under Dimon’s stewardship, JP has scored many wins: Its share price is up 21% over the past year, it is continually leading in AI adoption according to Evident AI’s barometer, and its CEO has the ear of everyone from lawmakers to President Trump.
However, Dimon shocked investors last year when he changed his oft-repeated response to the question of when he may be leaving the top job at JPMorgan Chase. For many years, Dimon would joke that his retirement was five years away. In May last year, that changed. “It’s not five years anymore,” he said.
Speculation has since been rife about which of JPM’s executive team would step in to fill the significant shoes of Dimon. But this week the executive’s tone changed again.
When a “five more years” anecdote was repeated back to Dimon this week, the CEO responded “at least,” suggesting his departure is anything but imminent. “I love what I do, it’s up to the board how long I do it,” he added.
Dimon’s success at JPM, which has included handling politicians and policymakers, led many to question whether one day he might make a move to Capitol Hill. The bank executive completely shut down the notion of a presidential run, as well as the role of Fed chairman (which will be vacated by Jerome Powell this spring).
“Fed chairman, I’d put in the absolutely, positively, no way, no chance, no way, no how for any reason,” Dimon doubled down this week. Since Trump’s return to the White House, the role of Fed chairman has become significantly less attractive, acting as a target for the Oval Office to level criticism and lobbying for the base rate to move one way or another.
But Treasury Secretary Dimon would “consider,” he added: “If a president calls you up asks you to do something, you should consider it. So I would take the call, consider it, and think about why and what they want, but what they want and how they want to operate would be important to me.
“I like my job, I’ve been my own boss for pretty much 25 years, and I like it that way.”
new video loaded: Remains of 32 Cubans Killed in U.S. Strikes in Venezuela Are Returned
State-run television aired a ceremony for the remains of 32 Cuban citizens killed in the U.S. strikes in Venezuela arriving in Havana. The deceased were part of the security detail of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s ousted president.
A busy January schedule suffered a significant setback when Moses Itauma was forced to withdraw from his scheduled January 24 clash with Jermaine Franklin.
The 21-year-old heavyweight prodigy was set to headline Queensberry Promotions’ latest Magnificent 7 card at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. However, injury struck, forcing the southpaw’s withdrawal and prompting organisers to postpone the entire event. The card has now been rearranged for March 28 at the same venue.
News of the postponement was met with disappointment from fans on social media, while for fighters lower down the bill the consequences were more tangible. Training camps had already been completed, sparring partners paid and preparations finalised, meaning the delay carries an unavoidable financial sting.
Queensberry promoter Frank Warren outlined the severity of Itauma’s injury when speaking to the Clubhouse Boxing podcast, making clear there was no scenario in which his fighter could have competed.
“Very unfortunate. He’s torn a bicep muscle and he was giving it a rest. The feeling was it would be okay but he went and had another MRI and it’s torn. A specialist has said it’s impossible for him to fight and we’re not going to let him fight if he’s not ready to. So unfortunately it’s been postponed.”
The delay will extend Itauma’s time out of the ring to seven months. He has not fought since August, when he produced a devastating one-round demolition of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte, a performance that firmly announced his arrival at world level.
For Franklin, the wait will be nearly as long. The American has not boxed since September, when he outpointed Ivan Dychko on the Terence Crawford–Canelo Alvarez undercard. Having previously dropped a contentious majority decision to Whyte in 2022, Franklin will now have to wait a little longer for another opportunity to reinsert himself into the heavyweight conversation.
The Ford Nugget may forever have the spirit of a carefree 22-year-old, but Ford’s beloved camper van is actually turning the big 4-0 this year. To celebrate, Ford Pro is kicking off 2026 with a 40th anniversary edition styled to match the original Nugget from 1986. The neutral black-and-white color scheme looks stunning inside and out, while the pop-top floor plan showcases the latest in Ford’s three-room mobile living design.
Believe it or not, the Ford Nugget actually predates its world-famous rival, the Volkswagen California. Volkswagen may have a richer, more celebrated history of pop-top camper vans in general, but the model line bearing the California name launched in 1988, two years after the Ford Nugget made its world premiere.
Perhaps that’s fitting because, though Volkswagen got on the van and camper van train before Ford, the Blue Oval beat virtually every other company in the world to the very concept of RVing, starting in the mid 1910’s with the group of venerated road travelers that called themselves the “Vagabonds,” led in part by Henry Ford himself.
It was another 70 years before Ford’s iconic Nugget made its debut, but the little camper van quickly endeared itself to a much-matured RV world. The first Nugget was built aboard a fourth-generation Transit van, and as with the VW California that followed two years later, the conversion work was handled by the world famous camper van minds at Westfalia. But while Volkswagen would go on to take over the manufacturing reins from Westfalia in 2003, Ford’s Nugget work with Westfalia has continued on through multiple Nugget generations and refreshes, right up to present day.
Ford’s new special edition Nugget was inspired by the original 1986 camper van series
Ford Deutschland
And so, the two automotive icons move on to their newest collaboration, officially called the “40 Years of Nugget” limited edition and available to order in Germany now. The special anniversary van isn’t meant to be a full-on 80’s redux, but more of an inspired-by successor. So while the overall black-accented “Frozen White” look is clearly derived from the 1986 Nugget above, the roof comes in contrast black rather than white and the body stripes running the flanks are a finer pinstripe design.
The Nugget’s 40th anniversary dress is both understated and brilliantly formal, something of a black tie approach complete with black top hat, white overcoat and smart, black accessories. It would look as comfortable shuttling VIPs to the edge of the red carpet as it would popped high next to a roaring campfire.
The newest Ford Nugget camper van tips its hat to the 40-year-old original
Westfalia
We’re not quite sure if we like the new motif better than the high-rising electric blue we last saw the Nugget wearing, but the little camper certainly looks good in black and white. We especially like the sharp contrast of the roof and matching black-out fabric against the snowy white of the body.
The special edition model launches as a pop-up, and buyers can choose either the package with permanently installed rear toilet or the simpler floor plan with increased kitchen and storage space replacing the toilet compartment. It comes in 215-in (545-cm) long-wheelbase (L2) size and Active trim with a 168-hp EcoBlue diesel engine.
Whether you choose the rear toilet or extra storage capacity, the Nugget comes divided up into the unconventional but highly functional three-room concept that serves as the cornerstone of its modern design. The L-shaped kitchen is located in the rear of the van, just behind the three-seat rear passenger/dining bench. That creates a dedicated cook station away from the hustle and bustle of the front lounge or center aisle, allowing more focused, less harried meal prep.
The second room is the dining room-cum-bedroom in front, which includes the bench, two swivel driver’s cab seats and a removable dining table. The dinette converts over into a double bed at night. And of course, the third and final room is the dedicated bedroom up in the pop-up roof, where campers will find another double bed.
The “40 Years of Nugget” interior follows the exterior in featuring a heavily black-and-white scheme
Ford Deutschland
As a rule, we’re not fond of black-and-white interiors, but since we’re accustomed to seeing the Nugget with white or gray furniture and charcoal countertops, this one feels pretty natural. The exclusive interior decor contrasts white furniture with black countertops and drawer and cabinet handles to vivid effect. Thankfully, unless our eyes deceive us, Ford lays off the bipolar black/white palette for the flooring, which appears to be an earthier light beige.
The 40 Years of Nugget edition will make its official world premiere at the CMT camper and travel show in Stuttgart, Germany this week and is available to order for a base price of €89,647 (approx. US$104,100).
Ford says it’s kept the price identical to the standard L2 Nugget in Active trim with the same equipment, a nice bonus for buyers since the special model also includes a gift pack with items like an anniversary book and mug. That wouldn’t be much of a throw-in for a traditional passenger vehicle, but in a camper van, that’s a book to read by the light of the fire and a mug from which to enjoy morning coffee against a stunning backdrop.
We just finished booking our trip to Stuttgart to catch the end of CMT, and we’ll definitely be stopping by Ford’s booth to bring you a closer look at this one, along with the new Nugget High Roof and other vehicles it has on show.
