Ford made cars affordable and accessible when it launched the Model T in 1908, selling more than 15 million examples in a 20-year period to become what many believe was the most influential vehicle of the 20th century.
Fast forward to 2025 and Ford is well aware of the rising threat from other domestic and foreign brands, namely those in China which are taking sales away from it in many markets, leaving the Blue Oval scrambling to find an answer.
Speaking in the brand’s second-half earnings call, Ford CEO Jim Farley said a major announcement is set to take place next month, with the brand looking to channel the energy of the Model T in its upcoming lineup.
“On August 11, that will be a big day for all of us at Ford. We will be in Kentucky to share more about our plans to design and build a breakthrough electric vehicle and a platform in the US,” Farley said.
“This is a Model T moment for us at Ford, a chance to bring a new family of vehicles to the world that offer incredible technology, efficiency, space and features.”
It’s not yet known what the EV will be, however Kentucky is the home of two US battery plants Ford made a US$7 billion (A$10.9 billion) investment alongside South Korean firm SK On in 2021.
Since then, demand for EVs has cooled, with Ford using part of just one of the plants for batteries, while Nissan is being allowed to utilise the second plant.
Kentucky is also the home of one of Ford’s pickup assembly plants, producing the Ford Super Duty alongside large SUVs such as the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
While we’re yet to find out what will be built in Kentucky, last year Farley said a dedicated ‘skunkworks’ team in California was developing a new EV platform, set to debut in mid-2027 under a mid-size pickup – aka, a Ranger-sized ute.
In the latest earnings call, the executive detailed that China is the emerging threat to its global business, and that while Ford is out of sync with its domestic rivals, it believes it has an advantage.
“On the EV side, I’m really excited to show everyone where we’re going,” Farley said.
“We’ve been busy the last three years behind the curtain. No one could really see how we’re allocating our capital and what our new EV strategy [is].
“We are out of sync in a good way with our competitors who are now fully loaded with all their EVs, and they’ll have to commit to them for a full cycle of product. Ours is coming out in the next year or two starting.
You’re going to see a lot of news from Ford on our EVs, and our strategy is very simple. We believe the only way to really compete effectively with the Chinese over the globe on EVs is to go and really push ourselves to radically re-engineer and transform our engineering supply chain and manufacturing process.
“That will come to life soon, and I’m excited to show everyone. This is the Model T moment for the company and that will become clear for us.
“We really do not see the global OEMs as a competitive set for our next generation of EVs. We see the Chinese. Companies like Geely and BYD, and that’s how we built our vehicle, how we’ve engineered, what kind of supply chain we’ve used, and the kind of low content in our manufacturing.
“A key part of that is our LFP [lithium-iron-phosphate] battery built in Marshall, Michigan. And it’s a big advantage for the company. We’re the first one to build it at scale. That’s a key part of our profitability road map to transition in these lower cost batteries.
“Can’t wait to show you the product and the platform, so stay tuned.”
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