Ford is betting on its new Universal EV platform to compete with BYD and other leading Chinese brands. The first UEV-based model will be a mid-size electric pickup that Ford says will start at around $30,000. Here’s our first look at it.
When is Ford launching its $30,000 mid-size EV pickup?
Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, said during the company’s November earnings call that electric vehicles starting at around $30,000 are “not a distant plan.” He added they are “right around the corner at Ford.”
After outlining its $5 billion “Bet on America” last August, Farley unveiled what could be the 120+ year old automaker’s most important piece of technology yet.
“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable electric vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership,” Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said during the event in Kentucky.
Ford’s Universal EV Platform is the company’s answer to BYD and other Chinese EV makers that are taking over Europe, the UK, South and Central America, Southeast Asia, and almost every market outside of the US with lower-cost electric cars.
The first vehicle based on the UEV platform will be a mid-size electric pickup, which Ford said will start at around $30,000.
With sales expected to start next year, Ford is pushing ahead with development. Farley offered a sneak peek at what’s going on behind the scenes on social media, previewing the front end of a prototype of the upcoming EV pickup.
An early peek at our brilliant team working on the Universal Electric Vehicle project – one of the most audacious and important projects in @Ford‘s history. American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world.
➡️ The team is spending countless… pic.twitter.com/Un4eCe258L
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 5, 2026
Farley said the UEV platform is “one of the most audacious and important projects in Ford’s history. American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world.”
The mid-size pickup will have a lower cost of ownership than a Tesla Model Y and will offer more space than a Toyota RAV4, according to Ford.
Ford is building UEV-based vehicles at its Louisville Assembly Plant. For the first time, the company will use large unicastings on the platform, reducing the number of parts required from 146 to just two.
According to Farley, the team is “spending countless hours getting every last drop of aero efficiency on the mid-size electric pickup.”
Ford will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries sourced from its new battery plant to enable lower prices. The facility is on track to begin production this year, using licensed tech from China’s CATL.
With prototypes now under development, we should learn more about the mid-size electric pickup soon. It’s set to launch in 2027.
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