First Sight! $30k Midsize EV Pickup Prototype

[Blue_Max]

makes you wonder about how their marketing research missed that. Ford was also surprised how buyers would jump in on hybrids, they thought the ECO would be the preferred engine.

They offered it as a hybrid, didn't they? It's much easier to adjust production mix than to add a new powertrain.

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[Blue_Max]

Oh I'm a big METV watcher :} But the stuff they're pushing is sort of trite, they need to push some higher end stuff.

I'm sure some of those catheters are top notch.

 

[pigsareus]

If I were any manufacturer I wouldn't waste money on R & D for products aimed at a demographic that literally gets smaller every hour. I would aim for the 25 year possible customer not the last purchase of their life customer. BTW I am 67 and notice that the only products targeting me are memory supplements, medicare advantage plans, and mobility devices

yeah they need to get with it and dream up some good stuff to sell us :}

 

[pigsareus]

They offered it as a hybrid, didn't they? It's much easier to adjust production mix than to add a new powertrain.

well yeah they offered it but they were way off in their estimates, when hybrids were the overwhelming choice they were caught flat footed. How did their market research not understand that potential customers would be choosing that over the ECO by a large margin? If the research didn't pick up on that then they need to revisit their methodologies.

 

[Scott Asheville]

I plan to sell my trusted Maverick EB for the new Ford EV truck, probably late 2027. It would have to be a genuine stinker to change my plans.

That said, as someone who predicted that Maverick sales would drop every quarter for the last four years... I'm finally throwing in the towel. I've accepted that Maverick is never going to see a sales decline.

 

[Fcnrwy]

Whatever it looks like (does have the layout of our Mavs)
I won't be concerned until 2034-2035. I will see whars avaulable at that time...

Jerry

 

[710-oil-614]

I thought I read somewhere that they're (finally) moving to a 48v architecture. Maybe that's part of the savings. You can still have buttons and switches and reduce wiring if they're smart about it (no pun intended)

You can, but they won’t.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

EV with an inter cooler for the frunk. Refrigerated storage bin?
Cool.

it can hold my beer while I do something stupid and/or amazing.

 

[gzebrick]

What's with the intercooler?

EVs still have radiators, often behind slots with moving aero-covers. There's probably a heat pump in there for component / battery / cabin cooling and heating the radiator is there to transfer that heat out of the vehicle.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

4 doors and a bed you can't lay down in. Great, another Maverick, just a few inches bigger. At least it's full EV, hopefully with a range extender option.

At $30k it will be about $5-10k cheaper than the Mav XL in '27-'28, but I suspect with Trumpflation that $30k will turn into $35k+ by then. Heck, the Mav may start at $40k for the XL by then, looking at how things are going. And not many people will want a gas engine vehicle, either, due to operational cost and fuel prices.

But the real hypothetical question is: what "pickup" would I buy if I were going to get a new one in '27-'28? For my personal preferences based on economics and utility and cost, there are 4 known offerings: Slate, Mav, Ranchero, Santa Cruz. Toyota or even GM might drop a surprise, but there have been no leaks. With the Ranchero supposedly being 10-20% lower priced than the Mav, it's a strong contender, especially since operating cost would be much lower using electricity rather than gas. However, I still do a 500 mile one way drive a couple times a month, and the EV platform makes that a half to hour longer drive with current available technology. Not a big deal, really, just have lunch while charging. But, I think I'd pay the extra Mav cost IF it was available as a plug-in hybrid for only $5k more than the Ranchero. OR, pay up to an extra $3k for a range extender in the Ranchero; which would still cost less than a Mav XL. The Santa Cruz is a no-starter due to the extra cost and lower MPG. The Slate is an unknown entity, but also supposed to be under $30k, and with a range of only 150 miles unless equipped with the 84kWh extended battery which gets 250 miles. The Ranchero has an estimated 300 mile range.

IF I had to buy a new utility vehicle in a couple years, it looks like the Ranchero wins.

But it's doubtful I'd be buying in a few years; I've only had the Mav for a year, and I tend to keep cars for a decade now. Maybe the economics will change, and I'll find it beneficial to replace the Mav prematurely with an EV. If so, I think I'd ship the Mav over to be at the Hawai'i house, and get rid of the X5 we keep there now, while it's still running.

musings;
all these offerings still have a short bed that you could not lay down in with a canopy or camper for camping. Sure, you can make some hodge-podge compromise that hangs out over the bumper, but where's the modular utility in that? But I guess not many people use their pickup for that purpose very often, so I can see why that isn't a consideration for manufacturers. The Mav is LONGER than 70's-80's minitrucks that had 6'+ long beds, but it also has a backseat. My 90's Tacomas had token seats in the extracab AND 6'+ beds, and were still smaller footprint than the Mav, though. And much tighter turning radius, and higher ground clearance.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

For anyone complaining about window size, when you get interior shots you can see a bit of that white camo stuck to the window itself if you look through the interior. Looks like it's maybe an inch or two of tape, so the windows are at least an inch or so lower than they're made out to be in these images.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

The high rise door skins are fake. They extend higher than the actual doors. Lots of foolery here. It sounds like a Slate might be more what you want. Even Ford said it's not really a truck. Having a bed makes it one, but not traditional in style at all. It's an aero queen.

As long as it looks good, that's all that matters. People who've seen it seem to like it.

 

[Blue_Max]

well yeah they offered it but they were way off in their estimates, when hybrids were the overwhelming choice they were caught flat footed. How did their market research not understand that potential customers would be choosing that over the ECO by a large margin? If the research didn't pick up on that then they need to revisit their methodologies.

How did every other manufacturer's research not understand that customers want a compact pickup? But yeah, Ford is the worst for not knowing exactly how many people wanted to buy the hybrid version of their breakthrough vehicle.

 

[Blue_Max]

4 doors and a bed you can't lay down in. Great, another Maverick, just a few inches bigger. At least it's full EV, hopefully with a range extender option.

How many electric Lightnings did you buy?

 

[OneAlienBoi]

Regarding the glass, we've established it drops lower than what the camo shows. Zooming in, you can see what appears to be the outer curvature of the glass. Even though it's taped over, you can make out the indention and curvature.

That would mean the actual glass is about the same size as what the black lines in my crude illustration show.

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