Ford is overhauling its electric vehicle strategy after the F-150 Lightning failed to gain enough traction in the market, pivoting to a new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform designed to produce smaller, cheaper models focused on profitability rather than sheer size. The centrepiece of this effort is a compact electric pickup truck priced at around $30,000, due to be revealed in 2027 and built alongside a wider family of low-cost EVs at Ford's Kentucky assembly plant. The move matters because Ford has struggled badly to make electric vehicles profitable, and the company is betting that smaller, more efficient trucks are the way to make EVs financially viable.

Spy shots have shown the heavily camouflaged prototype appears even smaller than Ford's Maverick, with one outlet estimating it at roughly 64 inches tall and 195 inches long, and recent photos revealing details such as real door handles and a large interior touchscreen. Ford took a $19.5 billion hit on its EV investments in 2025, underscoring the financial pressure behind the redesign, and the company has been developing the platform at a dedicated Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach, California. The push comes amid a difficult climate for EVs generally, including loosened emissions rules, tariffs and the end of the federal EV tax credit, and has also coincided with leadership changes, including the departure of EV and software chief Doug Field.