With the EV market in a major state of flux at the moment, automakers like Ford have since pivoted away from building larger, pricier models, and have instead moved toward smaller, more affordable ones. The Blue Oval has a skunkworks team that has been developing a new, low-cost EV platform set to underpin a variety of future models over the past two years, in fact, starting with a $30k crossover slated to launch in late 2026. Turns out, Ford CEO Jim Farley believes that consumers will need to pivot back toward smaller vehicles like it for a variety of reasons, too.
“We have to start to get back in love with smaller vehicles,” Farley said in a recent interview with NBC News. “It’s super important for our society and for EV adoption. We are just in love with these monster vehicles, and I love them too. But it’s a major issue with weight.” Given the constraints presented by current battery technology, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, particularly since Farley recently stated that the company plans to limit its large EVs to the commercial side of its business, too.
While Farley also recently admitted that the company lost billions selling sedans in the U.S. – which is why it chose to discontinue them – it may also bring small cars back to its European lineup after the forthcoming discontinuation of the Focus. With large EVs being built in limited quantities, FoMoCo is also eyeing the return of entry-level vehicles to its lineup as well.
Meanwhile, Ford is betting the literal farm on its skunkworks team, which is notable given the fact that several entities have expressed concerns over how larger, heavier EVs tend to perform in crash testing. A recently study from the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln found that modern day guardrails have a hard time containing such models, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also expressed concerns over how those same vehicles could increase injuries and fatalities moving forward.
We’ll have more on Ford’s future EV strategy soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
Jim, telling people what they need to buy is another recipe for failure. You just tried this over the past 3 years, and it failed. Move on.
Dickinson. Once again you have nailed it.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Thank you Jim! My thoughts exactly!
I meant Thank you DAVID, def NOT Jim! 🤦🏼♂️
These comments don’t have an Edit option…
Thank you both, gentlemen. TFA’s sister site for GM has the edit option. Not sure why they don’t have it here.
So in the past 5 years we’ve gone from a full lineup of trucks, SUV and sedans, to;
Pivot #1 – “building what we do best, trucks!”
Pivot #2 – EV is the future!! All aboard!
Pivot #3 – We need to fall back in love with smaller vehicles.
Does anyone at Ford have a clue whats going on or are they all stoned from the latest variety of weed passing thu FWHQ?
You missed the “freedom of choice” pivot after EVe failed.
Farley just says what whoever is intended to hear it wants to hear.
Quits building cars. Tells people they need to buy cars. So, you want everyone to go out and buy what you don’t make. Got it.
Also ignores everyone calling for the return of SMALL trucks. Answers with the joke called Maverick, which manages to be bloated AND have a tiny bed.
Your the one who stopped building Ice vehicles for EVs that sell a small fraction of what the ICE vehicles did.
you + are = you’re
And he didn’t stop building ICE vehicles, so that’s 0 for 2.
Farley needs to lay off the drugs!
In fact, it’s time for Farley to leave Ford and bring in a REAL car guy!!
Yes Farley needs to get OUT telling people they need to get EV’s and small cars. the bigger the better
I’ve been saying that for months. Farley is a dumb ass that needs to go. What small cars? Ford only builds boxy SUVs.
Is Farley a plant from stellantis or some other competitor? It does appear that he’s on a mission to destroy Ford as we knew it, particularly here in the UK where their offering is abyssmal.
Bring back M. Fields! Farley is the guy steering the rudderless ship but doesn’t understand what his base wants. As a Ford customer for decades and a current owner of a 2023 Aviator,2018 F 250, and a 2024 Expedition I don’t want to love smaller vehicles! I find the Aviator too small for our needs!! Farley don’t forget who your base is!
Maybe he wants to move his base beyond grotesque, ignorant barges.
I completely agree we need sub $15k econoboxes again I hate having to shop foreign for that
I keep saying why did you get rid of the fiesta best selling car in the U.K. and still best hand second hand car why why ,that was a really stupid move ,we don’t all these overpriced electric crap and the residual values second are crazy ,they drop 50 % in the year , so bring back the Fiesta for European market and sell cars people can afford , you need to back to your routes , i have had fords for 43 years but nothing in the line except focus and mustang v8 not that Mach e bucket
I agree and we need to start riding bicycles around town. Our love affair with gas guzzling vehicles is shortsighted and irresponsible.
They dropped sedans. They dropped the EcoSport and Edge. They’re planning on dropping the Escape. But, embrace small. I’ve been a Ford fan since I started driving, but they’re making it tough to stay loyal these days.
I’ll drive what I want, Mr. Farley. Thank you very much.
As soon as Ford figures out that not everyone wants an SUV that breaks constantly and starts making solid, practical vehicles again, I might consider a new one. I currently own six Fords. The newest is a 1997! I’ve had many newer Fords. The amount of expensive and laborious repairs has pushed me away.
Amen.
The man is clueless. Time for him to go.
AND it’s time for Bill Ford to retire too
A lot of the aging population, whom by the way, have money to buy vehicles may not be able to slide into smaller cars. And I’m not talking weight, I am talking physically. We need room, baby. I probably wouldn’t buy a corvette even if I could get into one, which I can’t. Although I am a fan of Camaro’s .
Nobody said to make ONLY small vehicles, so what’s the point of this comment?
Small cars are hard for disabled people to in and out of easily for some of us , and the vehicles can go the same distance on each charge that ice vehicles can in the same amount of time the ev’s are only good for local trips
A large part of the problem is the IIHS
rules and all the unnecessary safely items they constantly add. Don’t get me wrong, cars need to be safe but they’re just getting ridiculous with this stuff! Adding a ton of expense and weight!
Yep. This is what you get when our laws are written by career politicians with no expertise in anything except sucking up and taking payoffs. They pass yet another do-nothing (or worse) bill and pat themselves on the back for being “tough” or “doing it for the children.”
Now, apparently, nobody can make the small trucks we’ve been asking for because they’re economically prohibited by the government. Brilliant.
Thank you for calling out the insurance lobby.
Then why don’t you build a vehicle like the Jimny, a segment Ford could own because it’s been thoroughly ignored for DECADES. Or an even more burly small & efficient vehicle akin to the original Army jeep, instead of the bloated hogs being peddled as Jeeps today?
Two categories they could own on day one.
Perhaps if Ford built a small car built in the US I would consider buying it.
I’m so confused by Farley’s comments lately. Just a couple weeks ago he was talking about freedom of choice, keeping the V8 in the Mustang, and hybrids. Then this past week he is saying we need to embrace small cars and EVs?
These are sending VERY different messages to customers.
They’re not intended to go to the same audience. Stop using your brain and just do what they tell you.
30k EV cars what happen to the 25k car even at 25k this car would be a failer.
Makes a lot of sense. I’ve been carrying this message ever since Ford did away with cars, like the Focus and the Fiesta. I like to joke that some of the largest SUV’s must require a CDL to drive! Plus, if you really enjoy the experience of driving, why on earth would you shackle yourself to one of those multi-ton behemoths as a daily?
To haul your family when needed? I never owned anything that wasn’t a pony car for a LONG time. I finally compromised on a Dodge Charger with a 392 for a daily when the kids got big enough that more room was simply needed. Recently, I compromised further on buying a TRX for even more room, they outgrew the Charger. We looked at SUVs and other things, but the TRX was the best option for what we needed and what I was willing to compromise.
I NEVER thought I’d own a truck, but I have to say, I absolutely LOVE driving it. It’s a completely different driving experience from a pony car or a sports car, but fun in a different way.
If you make, not electric because the infrastructure is not there yet, small hybrids and plug in hybrids then I will embrace Ford again. And the deal with the Maverick starting it out with a hybrid and switching to a gas engine and charging more for the hybrid was a wrong move. I was eyeing the Maverick but forget it now.
YOU ALL HAVE VALID POINTS. MY POINT IS I LOVE MY FORDS. NOT GOING TO BUY ANY MORE FOREIGN NAMED VEHICLES. CURRENTLY HAVE A 2020 FORD EXPLORER LIMITED. LOVE IT!! NO PROBLEMS THAT THE RECALLS HAVEN’T TAKEN CARE OF . THIS IS MY THIRD FORD AND I AM 66 YEARS OLD. WHEN COMPARISION SHOPPING I THOUGHT THE KIA TELLURIDE WAS THE CHOICE UNTIL I WENT TO THE DEALER. HERE IN CALIFORNIA (COMMUNISTS) THEY WANT AND APPARENTLY GET OVER $50K FOR KIAS. MY EXPLORER HAS EVERY OPTION EXCEPT HYBRID AND ASSOCIATED OPTIONS. IT GETS ALMOST THE SAME MPG AND COST ME $15K LESS. VERY HAPPY AND IT DRIVES LIKE A DREAM. NOT A BIG GUY, 5’9 180, BUT NOT INTERESTED IN A SMALL CAR AT ALL. I NEED A VEHICLE THAT IS MULTIPURPOSE AND CAN TAKE THE HOUSE WITH ME ON TRIPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I SUPPORT AMERICA AND THEIR PRODUCTS! I LOVE SUVS AND FORD MAKES THE ONES I LOVE. THAT’S MY TAKE.
RETIRED NAVY GULF WAR VET
RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT
Put your foot down Jimmy, no more!!! In the meantime I have an appt at Chevy to look into a truck to go with my Tahoe, because I understand you might not be comfortable with me purchasing a truck…no worries between GM and Ram and what I assume will be Toy increasing production, we will be fine. But hey, when I am in the market for a small car I’ll, oh never mind you stopped building…anyway, good luck at your next job !