Ford is undergoing a radical factory overhaul to compete with Chinese automakers. Its CEO just offered a peek inside.
On Thursday, Ford CEO Jim Farley shared four behind-the-scenes photos on X of engineers working on the automaker’s Universal Electric Vehicle project. It’s a new platform and manufacturing system designed to underpin a family of smaller, lower-cost EVs.
Farley described the effort as “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,” Farley wrote in the post.
The update adds new detail to Ford’s sweeping rethink of how it designs and assembles electric vehicles, as Chinese EV makers — led by BYD, now the world’s largest EV seller — rapidly expand in foreign countries with lower-priced models.
Farley’s photos focus on the first vehicle expected to launch on the platform: a midsize electric pickup truck starting at $30,000. They show Ford employees working on vehicle prototypes — and reveal an early look at what appears to be its grille-less design.
The company confirmed to Business Insider that it plans to launch the vehicle in the US in 2027.
“A Ford team member working on the front end of a prototype – one of the hundreds of prototypes the team has designed and developed to shape the face of the truck over the last few years,” Farley wrote about one of the images.
Engineers are spending “countless hours” refining the truck’s aerodynamics, Farley said.
A massive manufacturing re-think
The manufacturing changes behind the vehicle may be even more significant than the design itself. Farley unveiled the new manufacturing plan during an August event dubbed the “Latest Model T Moment.”
Unlike the traditional assembly line — a single, linear conveyor made famous by Ford’s 1908 launch of its first mass-produced car, the Model T — the new system uses a three-pronged “assembly tree” approach. Separate lines build the front, rear, and battery underbody of the vehicle in parallel before they are joined later in the process.
Ford says the redesigned system uses 25% fewer fasteners and roughly half as many cooling hoses and connections.
Other images from Farley’s post show the factory’s new unicasting system — which Farley says reduces the number of vehicle parts — and engineers working on new designs.
Fewer parts could mean lower car prices, the company said in August.
Responding to billion-dollar pressures
The push comes as Ford makes costly changes to its EV strategy. In December, the company discontinued the F-150 Lightning pickup and scrapped plans for a large all-electric commercial van, recording a $19.5 billion write-down tied to canceled EV programs.
Going forward, Ford plans to focus on smaller, more affordable electric vehicles, as well as extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, which pair electric drivetrains with onboard gas generators.
The strategy reflects mounting pressure from China’s EV industry. BYD overtook Tesla last year to become the world’s top EV seller. Chinese EV sales have been gaining momentum across Europe — and last month, Canadian officials announced plans to lower tariffs on Chinese-made cars.
That momentum could prompt further changes at Ford. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Ford is in advanced talks with China’s Geely about potential manufacturing cooperation.
