Posted on 05/05/2026 8:52:26 AM PDT by Red Badger
ALLEN PARK, Mich.—A crew of engineers slipped past the empty security gate at a Ford Motor truck plant outside Detroit just after 3 a.m. The factory lines were still at that hour—but that was the point.
The crew was there to test a section of a new pickup that few at the company knew even existed. Ford’s secret project had an ambitious goal: to figure out how to make electric vehicles in the U.S. that could compete with the Chinese models clobbering competitors globally.
The secret is now out as Ford races toward building its first model, a new truck it says will be nearly as fast as a Mustang, travel around 300 miles on a single charge and feature in-car technology to compete with Tesla and China. It’s aiming for a 2027 launch and a price tag of around $30,000, the cost of a Toyota Camry.
Getting there means tearing up a century of manufacturing practices in a notoriously hidebound industry. At stake for Ford is securing a future beyond the gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs that have long defined its bottom line.
The project had been kept quiet from its 2022 start, led by veterans from Tesla and Apple who worked on designs out of a California office. Ford eventually brought in some of its own employees to help execute the vision. The process was filled with misunderstandings and distrust as the techie outsiders worked to win over the risk-averse industry veterans.
VIDEOS AT LINK................
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
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Just something that will start when I turn the key.
I don't need heated seats, (although they are really nice) power windows, park assist or anything else. I just want a truck. A nice, small, tough as nails truck that I can drive through the orchard.
Radio and A/C optional but it does need a heater.
Just a truck.
Stupid. Thought they would’ve learned by now.
How about give us a $25k barebones, 4WD, V8, manual transmission, mechanical fuel injection truck without all of the bells and whistles that drive the price up in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s?
Wait, I forgot...they kill the mother earth goddess that we are required to worship.
Sounds like my ‘85 GMC pick-up. Mine does have electric windows, which I wish it didn’t.
LOL
Unfortunately, all Toyotas now have the “Break override system”, including the Tundra. It is because of lawsuits around unintended acceleration. They built a system that kills power to the engine if you press the break and accelerator at the same time. Blame the lawyers.
Cars are too complex, too nannying, and salt in the wound is that it makes them less fun and more expensive.
No thanks, no new technology or in dash screens for me, I'll keep my 2001 and 2005 gas vehicles thank you very much.
They won't be able to keep them in stock.
I should have guessed ... Politicians and lawyers make absolutely abominable engineers.
So I am looking for a new truck. For me. Something I can drive for the next twenty years or so.
But unless I want to import there is nothing out there that fits my needs. I am not against all the flashy new pick-em-ups that have all the accessories, drive what you like but they are not for me.
Excellent!
Car makers DON’T WANT AFFORDABLE CARS WITHOUT THE HIGH-PROFIT “IMPROVEMENTS”.
I know, right? Seems like every article like this uses this retarded term. I actually chuckled and rolled my eyes when I read that.
The problem is the CAFE standards that got voted in twenty years ago.
This forced the auto manufactures to increase their average fuel economy of be FINED.
The result of this is the reason why almost all new trucks and cars have four cylinder turbo charged engines. Which is great for performance in a sports car or race car, BUT that engine will not last 200K miles. Many are not lasting 100K miles. The engine tollerences are so small that they had to reduce the viscosity of the oil.
Thy also decided to shut your engine off whenever you come to a stop. This increases the fuel economy of the entire fleet of autos by .5/miles per gallon. However, it reduces the life of both your engine and the starter. Fortunately, you can turn off that FEATURE in most autos.
All of these new advancements are to increase gas mileage.
It is not to make your car last longer or be a better quality product.
Mine is a work truck. It doesn’t have room for a propane bottle.
It is evident, except to the morons as the corporation headquarters, that people are tired of the overpriced, electronic laden, excessively big bodies on pickups. You can't even reach over the side of the bed to put in or take out a piece of wood or anything else.
The new Ranger is nearly as large as my 2000 F150. Even though at 6 ft. I have trouble reaching into the bed, I will not be buying one of these overly electrified, gadget filled what passes for a pickup.
My grandad built a few of those during WW2 for their car and tractors. They also couldn't get spare parts, so one uncle became good at "machining" spares out of soft steel with a drill press, vise, calipers, files and sandpaper. He showed me some sample blocks he made that he brought over when they immigrated. Couldn't fit a hair between those pieces, but if knocked gently, they came apart. Amazing work.
Gonna sell my Ford stock tomorrow when I get home. No way this will work out for Ford.
Chinese EV’s burn your house down.
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