Ford has unveiled its future plan in the form of what it calls the ‘Ford Universal EV Platform’ at an event held at its Louisville, Kentucky plant.
The first vehicle to debut the new platform will be a pickup truck in 2027, which will slot somewhere in between the Maverick and F-150 in terms of size. Other vehicle types will include a passenger van, SUV, coupe SUV and three-row SUV.
Hallmarks of the platform include simplification of parts, such as eliminating 1.3km of wiring harness (saving 10kg) and a much quicker assembly process. Instead of traditional linear assembly, a three branch ‘assembly tree’ sees front, rear and core mid-section (including battery pack) assembled together on separate lines before converging. This, says Ford, will result in 40 per cent faster assembly and 15 per cent quicker speed across the line.
CEO Jim Farley has had exposure to Chinese cars lately, famously borrowing a Xiaomi SU7 which he reportedly did not want to give back. Farley said:
“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership – and do it with American workers.”
Using LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery tech for affordability, the first new model will be priced from around US$30,000 – which, according to Ford, is the inflation-adjusted equivalent of what a Model T cost at the dawn of the last century.
Ford says performance for the new pickup will be on par with an EcoBoost Mustang, which, according to our tests, is good for a 0-100km/h sprint in around 5.5 seconds. Ford also claims the pickup will offer more downforce. In a statement, Ford said
“The new midsize truck is forecasted to have more passenger room than the latest Toyota RAV4, even before you include the frunk and the truck bed. You can lock your surfboards or other gear in that bed – no roof rack or trailer hitch racks required.”
The new ute is tipped to be called Ranchero, which was the coupe utility variant of the original Ford Falcon in markets other than Australia.
