Ford is at the moment growing a smaller and cheaper electrical automobile (EV) platform which is able to underpin an upcoming mannequin to tackle market chief Tesla and cut-price Chinese language rivals.
As a part of Ford’s end-of-2023 monetary report, firm CEO Jim Farley mentioned a “super-talented skunkworks group” has been working outdoors of the model’s conventional framework for the previous two years, with an purpose to finally put the platform into manufacturing.
“They’ve developed a versatile platform that won’t solely deploy to a number of varieties of automobiles however shall be a big set up base for software program and providers,” Mr Farley advised buyers.
“All of our EV groups are ruthlessly targeted on value, and effectivity, in our EV merchandise. As a result of the final word competitors goes to be the reasonably priced Tesla and the Chinese language OEMs.”
The “reasonably priced Tesla” referenced by Mr Farley is the EV big’s long-awaited ‘US$25,000 (A$38,000)’ mannequin, now set to enter manufacturing in 2025.
Tesla dominates the US EV market, accounting for roughly 55 per cent of the 1.2 million battery-powered automobile gross sales there final 12 months.
Ford in the meantime bought simply 72,608 EVs within the US all through 2023, for a six per cent share of the EV market, with solely the F-150 Lightning pickup, Mustang Mach-E SUV and E-Transit van contributing to the entire.
There are additionally three upcoming Ford EVs set to launch in Europe: an electrical model of the Puma, plus two SUVs on Volkswagen’s MEB platform. Certainly one of these MEB-based fashions will put on the Explorer nameplate.
They’ll be part of the Mustang Mach-E there, in addition to the E-Transit and E-Transit Customized vans. The latter has additionally spawned an electrical folks mover, the E-Tourneo Customized.
The model sells one other EV in China: the Territory EV, a restyled model of the Yusheng S330 from Ford’s three way partnership companion JMC.
In Australia, the Ford E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E are the one EVs bought by the model regionally, ranging from $104,990 and $72,990 earlier than on-road prices, respectively. Nevertheless, the electrical Puma is due right here this 12 months.