- Ford today announced plans for a midsize electric pickup with a starting price of $29,945, to be named Ford Fathom.
- The company says it will be “available for pre-order in early 2027,” but hasn’t said when to expect delivery.
Ford has been teasing something big for more than a year. Today, the company finally confirmed a few details — the vehicle that CEO Jim Farley called the “next Model T moment” will be a midsize electric pickup, built on an all-new platform, with a starting price under $30,000, called the Ford Fathom.
The company says the Fathom will be “available for pre-order in early 2027,” but has not said when deliveries will begin. Some automakers have accepted pre-orders years before delivery, though to date, Ford has delivered on its promises faster than repeat slow-delivery offenders like Tesla.
Details are scarce at the moment, but Ford says the truck will use its BlueCruise partial-self-driving system and offer “more passenger volume than a Toyota RAV4.” It will carry an MSRP of $28,350 and a delivery fee of $1,595, likely making it Ford’s least expensive product, after the Ford Maverick compact pickup which is just a couple hundred dollars less.
Ford promises seating for five adults, along with “a large, high-resolution touchscreen, bidirectional power capability, digital key, as well as a frunk and bed for added cargo flexibility.”
A frunk is a front trunk — a storage space under a vehicle’s hood.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will also be available.
The Universal Electric Vehicle Platform
- The Fathom is the first vehicle in a series built on an all-new platform developed by a special “Skunk Works” division.
The Fathom should be the first of several new electric vehicles (EVs) from Ford, developed with a new process meant to guide the company’s future and learn from juggernaut Chinese automakers.
As early as 2024, Farley teased the creation of a California-based “Skunk Works” project to develop cars in a new way.
EVs are built on so-called “skateboard platforms” — combinations of battery, motors, suspension, and steering parts that engineers can scale up or down to build models in different segments.
American automakers routinely take five years or longer to design and release new cars. But several Chinese automakers have tightened the design cycle to two years or less by designing skateboard platforms and modular construction, letting them use many common parts to release new models quickly.
Ford’s Long Beach, California, design hub sought to master the process, creating what it calls the Universal Electric Vehicle Platform.
Industry rumors say it depends on inexpensive lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which cost less than the nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries common in EVs today.
Ford has not revealed the Fathom’s range but notes that its low starting price includes a “standard-range battery,” implying that a longer-range option may be available for a higher price.
