- Ford CEO hits back at US government's China claims
- Ford’s new Fathom electric pick-up uses technology licensed from CATL
- The affordable Fathom is part of Ford’s new Universal EV platform
Ford has hit back at criticisms from US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that the automaker is becoming overly reliant on Chinese car companies, with Chief Executive Jim Farley telling The Wall Street Journal that these are “basic misunderstandings, mistruths, whatever words you want to use.”
The global automaker, which is winding up production of its current F-150 Lightning, is preparing a smaller, more affordable electric pick-up for the masses.
Dubbed Fathom, it will start at $28,350 (around £20,970 / AU$39,540) before destination fees and is the result of work by Ford’s “skunkworks” team, which was assembled to find ways to innovate in the EV space while keeping costs down and competing with increasingly capable Chinese electric vehicles.
However, the Transportation Secretary accused Ford of “actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises,” including a plant that licenses technology from Chinese battery giant CATL, according to the WSJ.
Ford announced in 2023 that it would begin manufacturing its own lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries at the newly formed BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall.
The company subsequently confirmed that the plant would use technology and expertise licensed from China-based CATL, but Ford would own and operate the facility and assemble the batteries in the US.
Production of the LFP battery cells destined for Ford’s affordable electric pick-up is now ramping up, with Ford saying it is on track to ship batteries in 2026. Farley is adamant that the arrangement does not amount to handing control of Ford’s future to China.
“We’re not enabling the Chinese to come here,” Farley told the WSJ. “Actually, you could argue the opposite is the case.”
In a statement published by Ford HQ on its media site, the company said that it is the "most American automaker".
"We produce more vehicles in the US, employ more hourly manufacturing workers and export more vehicles from the US than any other automaker", it added.
Despite a retirement in its current form, the F-150 Lightning itself isn't being killed off entirely, either. Ford says production of the current version will end this year, with a next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV planned to offer more than 700 miles of combined range using a battery and gasoline-powered generator.
Analysis: All hopes rest on Fathom
Ford’s CEO has called the creation of its new Universal EV platform, which it hopes will underpin a whole host of new EVs, the company’s “Model T moment,” stating that the platform will help bring electric trucks and vehicles to customers at a more affordable price.
Full details of the Fathom are still to be revealed, but we do know that it will cost less than $30,000 before destination charges when it goes on sale, with a starting MSRP of $28,350 (about £20,970 / AU$39,540). It will use one of Ford’s new LFP battery packs and feature a NACS charging port.
It will also pack bidirectional charging, allowing owners to power tools and other accessories from the batteries, and every Fathom will have the hardware required for Ford’s next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system.
Four doors, five passengers, a generous rear bed and a front trunk for extra storage will all come as standard, while Ford is targeting a midsize footprint with more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4.
Ford hopes that its electric trucks will finally hit home with a mass-market audience, thanks to the technology on offer and extremely competitive pricing.
Although it will count the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate truck as a key competitor, that pick-up is priced from less than $25,000 (about £18,490 / AU$34,870) before destination charges.
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