- Ford's "skunkworks" project is based in California with top tech industry talent.
- It's expected to produce several lower-cost EV models, including a truck, crossover and commercial vehicles.
- Today, Ford announced that the truck will be a midsize one, which is bigger than expected.
Things are changing at Ford. Again. Apparently, and perhaps understandably, fed up with the lack of profits from electric vehicles despite becoming America's second-best-selling EV brand behind Tesla, the Dearborn automaker is retooling its electrified roadmap.
A three-row electric SUV is out, a hybrid three-row SUV is in, and a truck that seems like an F-150 Lightning replacement has been pushed back to 2027.
But one of the most interesting details in Ford's strategy announcement today deals with the secretive "skunkworks" project based in California: the first vehicle on a new, lower-cost EV platform will be a midsize pickup truck, not a compact one as many—including us—had assumed.
On a media briefing InsideEVs attended this morning, Ford officials declined to provide many more details about the truck, including what its exact size could be—or if it will have any direct analogs in the current Ford lineup. That included a question on whether the truck will be more like the Ranger, or the smaller Maverick. "We're not going to talk about that," Ford CFO John Lawler said on the call. "We'd love to put it all out there right now, but it's too early to do that, given the competitive nature of the segment."
However, in Ford's own parlance, "compact" pretty clearly refers to the Maverick, while "midsize" refers to the Ranger. In other words, it feels like a safe bet that this truck should be larger than expected.
Gallery: Ford Affordable Skunkworks EV Rendering
Lawler and other officials declined to offer any other new details about the truck, including its battery, range, performance or other specs. Previously, CEO Jim Farley confirmed the skunkworks team was working on a low-cost EV platform that would yield electric models that are profitable from $25,000 to $30,000; it's unclear if that remains the truck's price target or not. The vehicle was presumed to be a competitor to a raft of newer, more affordable EV options coming to market in 2025, 2026 and beyond, including the reborn Chevrolet Bolt EUV, the Jeep Renegade, the Kia EV3 and possibly a new entrant from Tesla.
But if the "skunkworks" truck ends up being more Ranger-sized—while the T3 seems to analogous to the F-150—that would be an interesting decision on Ford's part, and one that could potentially drive up its price tag.
Asked whether this new midsize truck could still be in Farley's $30,000 and under comments, "I wouldn't associate the comment with specifics of our announcement today," a Ford spokesperson told InsideEVs. This person added that Farley's comments are indeed "a target, not an announcement of actual pricing of the product itself." The gas-powered Ranger starts at $32,720, before destination fees. It is also sold as a plug-in hybrid, but not in the U.S. market.
It's also an interesting sizing choice for Ford that may be tied to things like battery costs, range and capability, as well as sale price.
The Ranger consistently trails other midsize truck options in the field in sales, including the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Toyota Tacoma—the latter of which remains the undisputed champion of the field. Last year, the smaller Maverick outsold the Ranger nearly three-to-one. And many prospective EV buyers had been looking forward to the possibility of a compact urban truck that runs on batteries but can still do some light towing and hauling in a pinch.
But much of this is speculation until we know more about the truck. Ford today said it's due to launch in 2027 and will "cater to customers who want more for their money—more range, more utility, more useability." Ford has not announced a manufacturing site for the midsize truck yet.
Ford's "skunkworks" EV project—so named due to its secretive nature—was established almost three years ago as a kind of internal startup. It has since poached top talent from Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, Apple and more, and has sought to make a clean-sheet EV platform that can produce many lower-cost vehicles and compete with newcomers from China.
Could this be the electric Ford truck you wanted? Let us know in the comments.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
