Ford will introduce a new Ford Ranger-sized electric ute in the United States (US) in 2027, but the automaker says it must sell well enough there before it looks at exports – meaning it may not come to Australia.
The US car giant previously confirmed its new Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform will underpin a new mid-sized ute made in the US state of Kentucky.
The ute would be priced in the US, at least, around the same US$30,000 (A$45,000) kick-off as the Ford Escape SUV, a rival to the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 since dropped by Ford in both Australia and the US.
It would face the new-generation Toyota HiLux EV scheduled to go on sale in Australia in early 2026, although pricing has yet to be announced, as well as the upcoming Isuzu D-Max EV and current LDV eT60 electric utes.
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The UEV platform was announced after Ford suffered billions of dollars in losses on EVs, leading to the recent cancellation of its Ford F-150 Lightning EV, which it heralded in 2022 as significant as the 1908 Model T.
Automakers typically produce global platforms to spread cost between regions, something Ford has done successfully for decades, sharing parts while reducing overall spending on development and manufacturing.
Ford’s planned UEV platform is modular, meaning it could also be used to manufacture smaller EVs for Europe, for example, but Automotive News Europe reports the automaker is yet to commit to exporting UEV models.
“The competitive threat that we are seeing with the Chinese in Europe is significant,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on a media call earlier this month.
“It’s forcing everybody to look at how efficiently we invest capital and what level of material cost we can get to make these products affordable.”
This also applies to the Kentucky-made ute making its way to Australian showrooms, with a new-generation Ranger expected in 2027/2028.
According to Automotive News Europe, Mr Farley didn’t completely rule out exporting the UEV platform, but said the company wants to prove the platform can essentially be profitable before sending it overseas.
“We have not landed the plane yet … we have a lot of work to do,” Mr Farley said.
Ford’s most recent revision of its EV strategy, after several previous shakeups, cost the company US$19.5 billion (A$29.1 billion) as it shifts focus to hybrids, including range-extending electric vehicles (REEVs).
In Australia, Ford dumped the Escape PHEV in 2023, using predominantly commercial models to spearhead its move towards electrification.
Its first EV was the E-Transit van, since joined by the E-Transit Custom, Transit Custom PHEV and Ranger PHEV.
The Mexico-made Mustang Mach-E EV remains the only non-commercial model with electrification in Ford Australia showrooms and has suffered slow sales despite substantial price cuts since launch.