Ford Cancels Three-Row Electric Crossover In Favor of Smaller, Cheaper EVs
Ford has been talking about an electric three-row crossover for a while now, but it appears the automaker has given up on those dreams. The company recently announced that it would cancel the vehicles in favor of smaller, less expensive electric models.
The Blue Oval said it would pivot to deliver a midsize electric pickup truck by 2027 and promised hybrid three-row vehicles in place of the planned EV.
CFO John Lawler said, “This is really about us being nimble and listening to responses from our customers. We looked where the segment was evolving, the amount of competition, the customer needs, and then, the size of the battery that needs to go in a pure EV, the cost structure, the pricing, we could not put together a vehicle that met our requirements to be profitable in the first 12 months of launch.”
Lawler said Ford was pulling back on EV investments, drawing them from 40 percent of its capital expenses to 30. The midsize electric truck’s 2027 launch represents a delay of more than a year, but Ford believes it can leverage cheaper battery chemistries and other cost-cutting measures to deliver a profitable vehicle.
The announcement isn’t that surprising, given that Ford said it lost a significant amount on every EV sold last year. Demand for the vehicles is growing, but high prices and other hurdles have made it difficult for buyers to get behind electric vehicles with the enthusiasm many had hoped.
[Images: Ford]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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