As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, it can be harder to determine what’s real and what’s just content drummed up by someone with an idea and the correct keywords to feed into an AI model. Ford Authority is here to cut through the AI-generated slop, especially when search engines treat fictional Ford models as fact. Like the supposed 2025 Ford Ranchero. Which Google AI thinks is real.
Typing “2025 Ford Ranchero” into Google brings up an interesting result from the AI overview presented by Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. The first line states “The 2025 Ford Ranchero is a highly anticipated pickup truck that combines the nostalgia of the original Ranchero with modern design and technology.” That is decidedly false. There is no 2025 Ford Ranchero, and it’s not “expected to offer a blend of style, utility, and performance,” no matter what the search engine might have you believe.
Going down the list, Gemini’s AI overview actually reveals its source, which is a questionable content farmer who generated a picture of what a modernized Ranchero might look like. That content creator even gave a false timeline for the completely made-up 2025 Ford Ranchero, causing Gemini to spit it back out as fact, fooling unsuspecting viewers into believing that the Ranchero will hit dealers in late 2025.
It’s even given a $28,995 price tag and a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds, and is said to have a V6 engine under the hood paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission for all-wheel-drive. Again, there’s absolutely no truth to any of that. And it’s not even true to the Ranchero nameplate, which was more of a “ute” than a full-blown pickup.
At best, some Ford enthusiast searching for 2025 Ford Ranchero will get some false hope. At worst, they’ll be coerced into placing a deposit on the nonexistent model and lose their money to a scammer. It doesn’t stop there, though – Gemini thinks that the 2026 Ford Escort is inbound, along with the 2026 Ford Fusion, both of which are AI-generated nonsense.
Comments
Can’t wait to get my Aussie Chiller Bushy and try it out!
There is a term for that, AI’s hallucinate. It’s not their fault, it is part of the programming allowing an AI to invent stuff. Do a little research on AI hallucinations.
In just over a week, and not solely on this site, are all these idiotic stories of AI slop. I’m already tired of hearing about it.
Actually, I’d love for Ford to offer a 2-door Maverick with a longer bed, a few styling tweaks, and call it the Ranchero. I suspect it would sell like hotcakes.
or even pancakes
If Ford did bring back the Ranchero they would just ruin it like many other vehicles they have brought back in the past.