Ford’s ‘Skunkworks’ EV Truck Will Be Midsize, Not Compact

• Ford’s “skunkworks” mission relies in California with prime tech business expertise.
• It is anticipated to supply a number of lower-cost EV fashions, together with a truck, crossover and business autos. 
• At present, Ford introduced that the truck might be a midsize one, which is larger than anticipated.

Issues are altering at Ford. Once more. Apparently, and maybe understandably, fed up with the dearth of earnings from electrical autos regardless of turning into America’s second-best-selling EV model behind Tesla, the Dearborn automaker is retooling its electrified roadmap.

A three-row electrical SUV is out, a hybrid three-row SUV is in, and a truck that looks as if an F-150 Lightning alternative has been pushed again to 2027.

However one of the vital attention-grabbing particulars in Ford’s technique announcement right this moment offers with the secretive “skunkworks” mission primarily based in California: the primary car on a brand new, lower-cost EV platform might be a midsize pickup truck, not a compact one as many—together with us—had assumed. 

On a media briefing InsideEVs attended this morning, Ford officers declined to offer many extra particulars in regards to the truck, together with what its precise measurement may very well be—or if it should have any direct analogs within the present Ford lineup. That included a query on whether or not the truck might be extra just like the Ranger, or the smaller Maverick. “We’re not going to speak about that,” Ford CFO John Lawler stated on the decision. “We might like to put all of it on the market proper now, nevertheless it’s too early to do this, given the aggressive nature of the phase.” 

Nonetheless, in Ford’s personal parlance, “compact” fairly clearly refers back to the Maverick, whereas “midsize” refers back to the Ranger. In different phrases, it appears like a protected guess that this truck needs to be bigger than anticipated. 

4 Pictures

InsideEVs

Lawler and different officers declined to supply some other new particulars in regards to the truck, together with its battery, vary, efficiency or different specs. Beforehand, CEO Jim Farley confirmed the skunkworks staff was engaged on a low-cost EV platform that will yield electrical fashions which are worthwhile from $25,000 to $30,000; it is unclear if that continues to be the truck’s worth goal or not. The car was presumed to be a competitor to a raft of newer, extra reasonably priced EV choices coming to market in 2025, 2026 and past, together with the reborn Chevrolet Bolt EUV, the Jeep Renegade, the Kia EV3 and presumably a new entrant from Tesla. 

But when the “skunkworks” truck finally ends up being extra Ranger-sized—whereas the T3 appears to analogous to the F-150—that will be an attention-grabbing resolution on Ford’s half, and one that might probably drive up its price ticket. 

Requested whether or not this new midsize truck may nonetheless be in Farley’s $30,000 and below feedback, “I would not affiliate the remark with specifics of our announcement right this moment,” a Ford spokesperson informed InsideEVs. This particular person added that Farley’s feedback are certainly “a goal, not an announcement of precise pricing of the product itself.” The gas-powered Ranger begins at $32,720, earlier than vacation spot charges. It’s also bought as a plug-in hybrid, however not within the U.S. market. 

It is also an attention-grabbing sizing selection for Ford that could be tied to issues like battery prices, vary and functionality, in addition to sale worth.  

Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid 2025

The Ranger persistently trails different midsize truck choices within the subject in gross sales, together with the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Toyota Tacoma—the latter of which stays the undisputed champion of the sphere. Final yr, the smaller Maverick outsold the Ranger almost three-to-one. And plenty of potential EV consumers had been wanting ahead to the opportunity of a compact city truck that runs on batteries however can nonetheless do some mild towing and hauling in a pinch. 

However a lot of that is hypothesis till we all know extra in regards to the truck. Ford right this moment stated it is because of launch in 2027 and can “cater to prospects who need extra for his or her cash—extra vary, extra utility, extra useability.” Ford has not introduced a producing web site for the midsize truck but. 

Ford’s “skunkworks” EV mission—so named because of its secretive nature—was established virtually three years in the past as a type of inner startup. It has since poached prime expertise from Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, Apple and extra, and has sought to make a clean-sheet EV platform that may produce many lower-cost autos and compete with newcomers from China. 

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