First Sight! $30k Midsize EV Pickup Prototype

[Blue_Max]

Ford and spies said the new midsize EV pickup was going to be called the Ranchero; but the name is the only similarity to the pickup/car from the 60's and 70's. Personally, I thought the Maverick should have been called the Ranchero, since Ford is fond of recycling old car model names and the Maverick was an economy car in the 70's. Then I learned they had ANOTHER pickup model planned, the aforementioned midsize model, and were calling IT the Ranchero. What you describe seems to be much smaller than what is considered "midsize" these days.

I'm holding out for a Pinto revival.

Sponsored

 

[710-oil-614]

It will have payload capability just like the Maverick does. Vertical force (payload) is much easier to deal with than horizontal force (towing) in a unibody.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna LE Hybrid FWD has a payload capacity of 1,560 lbs. but can only tow 3500 lbs.

Fair on the payload. Curious what a heavy battery will do to payload though as that will tax suspension components.

 

[ejouie]

Fair on the payload. Curious what a heavy battery will do to payload though as that will tax suspension components.

The lightning is about 2,000 lbs. heavier than an equivalent F150. This won't be that extreme as it doesn't need as big of a battery, will be much more basic in features, and will be ground up designed for it. The new manufacturing process also sheds some weight.

Source: Ford Bounty Hunters: The Pursuit of Efficiency

 

[Surly Old Bill]

I’m not trying to crap on it but then it’s a Nissan leaf with a truck bed?

Limited range. No towing or payload abilities. An around towner for light hauling? With Tesla coming out with their supposed $25k vehicle that’s going to be a rough sell for Ford in my opinion.

I want to be wrong but Ford has given us a lot of reasons to be skeptical.

As I speculated before; the crazy increasing cost of vehicles compared to stagnant or declining annual income compared to inflation in Merkuh has created a huge hole to be filled with cheap (relatively) vehicles for the commoners. A Nissan Leaf with an open bed is accurate. Anything under $30k will be a top seller.
I'm not certain, I might be confusing the Chicken Tax, but open bed vehicles, "pickups", receive or take advantage of some regulations that makes them cheaper to manufacture or sell compared to fully enclosed vehicles like cars and SUVs.
And now we have tariffs to punish the lower income Merkuns with even higher costs. Couple that with the high cost of making vehicles in the US, there is no escaping higher cost to consumers. Ford started making the Maverick in Mexico because it was beneficial to the consumer and the company, until the tariffs. I don't know what their mfg plans are for this EV pickup. Perhaps assembled in Merkuh using mostly automation, robotics, and AI in order to keep the price affordable.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Exterior Style is way down on my list of priorities. I’ll take efficiency and capability, safety of course, and practicality.

Yep, I'd consider an AMC Pacer, Pontiac Aztek, or a CyberTruck looking thang if they were $30k and only cost a few dollars to charge and drive 400 miles. Outward appearance is for shallow people.

 

[Darnon]

Fair on the payload. Curious what a heavy battery will do to payload though as that will tax suspension components.

The suspension components are engineered to handle an expected vehicle weight + payload, not the other way around.

as it should be. I wasn't aware there are diagrams and schematics available yet, though. We're all still speculating on how the body looks.

Ford has released preview media of the architecture's structure/electrical system before. When they had their press event at the "skunkworks facility" the attendees like Autopian's David Tracy affirmed that the structural demos they were shown were much the same.

 

[710-oil-614]

The suspension components are engineered to handle an expected vehicle weight + payload, not the other way around.



Ford has released preview media of the architecture's structure/electrical system before. When they had their press event at the "skunkworks facility" the attendees like Autopian's David Tracy affirmed that the structural demos they were shown were much the same.

Correct. And a heavier suspension to accommodate payload and battery will result in less range. It’s all a balancing act.

I’ll reserve judgment until the specs and prices are released but I’ll remain skeptical until then.

 

[Prickly Pear]

I just hope they don't re-roll the Edsel!

 

[MavStangVa]

Yep, I'd consider an AMC Pacer, Pontiac Aztek, or a CyberTruck looking thang if they were $30k and only cost a few dollars to charge and drive 400 miles. Outward appearance is for shallow people.

Please tell me you looked for a wife who was cheap to keep and ugly as hell . The only humans that can honestly say they were not attracted to someone FIRST based on their looks are blind people. How something LOOKS influences every purchase you make. At my grocery the solid brown bananas and lettuce are much cheaper than the nice looking varieties. This is 1 area I am not cheap since I hate any brown on my banana or lettuce

 

[710-oil-614]

It will have payload capability just like the Maverick does. Vertical force (payload) is much easier to deal with than horizontal force (towing) in a unibody.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna LE Hybrid FWD has a payload capacity of 1,560 lbs. but can only tow 3500 lbs.

Just as a follow up - a model 3 has a payload capacity of 1,000lbs and the model S has a capacity of 1,080lbs so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the new platform will have payload equal to or greater than the Mav.

I’m going to say the $30k (or whatever the entry level model costs) will have less than 225 miles of range, cannot tow more than 2k lbs, payload under 1100lbs, and RWD. Limited safety or convenience features

AWD will be tied to a larger battery and will bump the cost up significantly to over 40k and now we’re looking at prices similar to what the Lightning had promised in the pro trim but about 1/3 of the capabilities.

It’s a real sleight of hand by Ford.

 

[Wahjahbvious]

Size looks okay, but I think I'd need it to be an EREV to replace my Maverick as a family road tripper.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Please tell me you looked for a wife who was cheap to keep and ugly as hell . The only humans that can honestly say they were not attracted to someone FIRST based on their looks are blind people. How something LOOKS influences every purchase you make. At my grocery the solid brown bananas and lettuce are much cheaper than the nice looking varieties. This is 1 area I am not cheap since I hate any brown on my banana or lettuce

nope, all performance, and often form follows function, especially with sexual partners.

 

[Blue_Max]

Please tell me you looked for a wife who was cheap to keep and ugly as hell . The only humans that can honestly say they were not attracted to someone FIRST based on their looks are blind people. How something LOOKS influences every purchase you make. At my grocery the solid brown bananas and lettuce are much cheaper than the nice looking varieties. This is 1 area I am not cheap since I hate any brown on my banana or lettuce

Vehicles are not sexual partners (for most). If looks are most important to you, why aren't you driving a Ferrari or something?

 

[Escapologist]

I take it back about gonna look like a sawn off minivan.... I think it's more like Dodge Intrepid (LH) with 2" lift and sawn off a little before C pillar.

 

[Chops]

Enjoy your obsessive speculation. I'll wait until they take off the camouflage to judge its looks and capabilities.

Dear sir, this is a Maverick Truck Forum for crying out loud. Speculation & Info Sharing is at its foundation.

Now if the forum member ejouie was delivering this opinion to a random person in a supermarket - I might question his “obsessive speculation”.

Geez, he did not even use AI - which is known to ire you.

Sponsored