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It\u2019s never been a matter of \u201cif\u201d electric vehicles from China start appearing en masse in the U.S., but \u201cwhen.\u201d That\u2019s become clearer in the last several months as some of that country\u2019s largest automakers have started seriously evaluating opportunities to bring models to North America, particularly in Canada.<\/p>\n
Adding Chinese auto juggernauts like Chery and Geely to the Canadian market means safety and compliance requirements are nearly compliant with those of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other certifications and logistics like sales and service support will have to be worked out, but some significant hurdles being cleared for China\u2019s leading EV makers have sent a chill through the halls of Japanese, Korean, German, and, of course, American auto companies.<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s preemptively putting up a roadblock.<\/p>\n
The Dearborn, MI.-based auto legacy revealed a few more details this week about its upcoming EV platform that will be the base of its next generation of models that start with a compact pickup truck carrying the ambitious goal of a $30,000-ish starting price, or roughly $20,000 less than the current average pricetag for a new car in the U.S.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not the under-$20,000 price tag that\u2019s recently disappeared from the new car market, it\u2019s in the ballpark of what an EV built in China could cost once it gets the equipment most Americans want and goes through Customs, where it would be hit with a hefty tariff.<\/p>\n
But the Universal Electric Vehicle Platform (UEV), as it\u2019s known, is a 180-degree turn from the EVs Ford heavily marketed and banked its future on in the first half of this decade, especially in terms of the now-dead F-150 Lightning full-size pickup truck that was swiftly killed last year as the federal EV tax incentive died. The big truck never met sales expectations or paid its way.<\/p>\n
The UEV is supposed to be a back-to-basics approach to car-building with more modular construction, as well as revisiting more compact dimensions and weighing in more reasonably than the EVs of the early 2020s. Additionally, cost-cutting is not only the game plan for building the cars, but also repairing them, as insurance companies quickly write off some easily fixable EVs.<\/p>\n
Car and Driver put together some predictions on what the UEV pickup truck will look like, guessing it will be similarly sized to the current Ford Maverick compact pickup with a mostly traditional truck profile. However, the front end might not be as blunt as most models, suggesting a more carlike approach to differentiate it from the more traditional Ford pickup family.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s already been established that the four-door pickup will have more interior space than a Maverick and likely even more than the next-size-up Honda Ridgeline, which shares pieces of the Honda Odyssey minivan. A compact SUV is projected to be the next EV, likely around 2028.<\/p>\n
Ford assembled a team colloquially known as \u201cSkunkworks\u201d in 2022 to develop its next generation of EVs. Now called the Electric Vehicle Development Center, based in Long Beach, CA, the company gave some media people a tour to show off how it\u2019s doing things differently there, blending talent from companies such as Apple and Tesla, according to the Wall Street Journal, before installing traditional Ford talent.<\/p>\n
Some of Ford\u2019s success stories, like the original Taurus from 40 years ago, came from doing things in an untraditional way when the company was on the brink of financial disaster. That gain would be unraveled by reverting to tradition when the money started flowing again. It looks like Ford is trying the same thing again, perhaps without the unraveling part.<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s small EV pickup plans have consistently drawn comparisons to the upcoming entry from Slate Auto, a Jeff Bezos-affiliated startup targeting a sub-$30,000 starting price for a barebones electric emphasizing customization, including the option of turning it into an enclosed SUV. Ford doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s going that far, and extras like a radio, power windows, and other features expected of a modern $30,000 vehicle are likely to be included.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of this year, it was widely considered that 2026 would be a reset for the EV market, given that the end of the federal tax incentive was already depressing sales figures from nearly every company, including Tesla. With gas prices going nowhere but up and potentially higher inflation later this year, buyers are getting more fuel-conscious.<\/p>\n
For years now, buyers have been looking at lightly used cars to take some of the sting off a monthly payment. And, for now, they\u2019re going with hybrids and Teslas, according to a recent study from iSeeCars. However, non-Tesla EVs are about to stack up on used car lots, and many will be $30,000-ish bargains that were once $50,000 or more new.<\/p>\n
So 2026 remains a year in flux for EVs from everywhere. But a lot of eyes are on Ford to show it\u2019s not just China that can produce the affordable electric car we\u2019ve been promised for so long.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n