- In an interview with InsideEVs, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the automaker’s critical “skunkworks” electric vehicle platform project is progressing well. He likened it to the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
- The supply chain, parts and plant conversions and other critical steps have been completed, and prototype vehicles are running with Ford’s software, Farley said.
- But Farley remains cautious about what “top hats” or bodies the platform could be used for, including the new Mustang Mach-E.
In 2026, the Detroit Auto Show is no longer the global newsmaking event it once was. But Ford seized the opportunity to Promotes the latest performance and racing effortsincluding a new powertrain partnership with Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.
Creating a winning power unit in Formula 1 is no easy task. But Ford CEO Jim Farley told InsideEVs that it’s there with the new automaker Global EV platforma secret “skunkworks” effort to deliver a next-generation electrical architecture that can compete with Chinese companies on technology and costs.
Photo by: Ford
“This is literally like an Apollo or Gemini mission inside a Ford,” Farley said, referring to the American space programs of the 1960s and 1970s. “It’s a uniquely American, high-risk project… Just like the power units in Formula 1, it’s one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever been involved in.”
Announced last year, the Universal EV (UEV) platform is scheduled to debut in 2027 with a Kentucky-made electric pickup truck that Ford said will start around $30,000. Seven other species, or “top hats,” are likely to reach that platform. Including a medium-sized crossover. On Thursday, Farley provided an update on the program and said “business marketing” is going well.
“All the parts have been quoted and designed, and we are now deep into modernizing the manufacturing facility,” Farley said. “We have discontinued production of the Escape. We now have the massive broadcast machines up and running. We are building prototypes now using our Regional Electrical Engineering software that controls the vehicles. I was very excited to see the car turn and stop using the Ford software, and the silicon we designed and specified.”
Another EV platform doesn’t look like a moon landing in 2026. But for Ford, the UEV architecture could be a groundbreaking reset of how electric vehicles are made, and a kind of antidote to everything that has gone wrong so far.
The $5 billion project originated in California, away from the rest of the Ford administration ecosystem, to ensure independence and security. It will be led and built by veterans of companies like Tesla, Apple and Rivian On the reimagined assembly line.
Ford’s global electric vehicle production system
Photo by: Ford
The electric vehicle itself will run on new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries co-developed with Chinese giant CATL, all while using 20% fewer parts compared to a “typical vehicle” to cut costs. Ford said the inaugural truck will have the interior space of a midsize crossover while fitting into the space of a Maverick, support full over-the-air upgrades to a regional electric architecture from the ground up, and offer “Fars-sighted” automated driving assistance. About a year after it went on sale. Perhaps more important is what is said about the project Meeting the production costs that Chinese giant BYD can achieve in Mexico– A key element in making EVs that are actually profitable rather than loss-leading vehicles.
This kind of ambition is now crucial to Ford’s future. Last year, amid increasing losses, the auto industry The F-150 Lightning electric truck has been cancelledas well as his planned successor. Ford is now pinning its electric vehicle hopes on the skunkworks project, while also focusing more on hybrids for its larger vehicles after years of burning through capital and experiencing slower-than-expected electric vehicle sales.
However, the UEV project is so new and so pioneering, with so many new technologies in the works, that there is no guarantee it will succeed, Farley said. Many automakers have struggled with quality issues with their latest EV platforms. Especially when it comes to software.
Pickup is Ford’s global electric vehicle platform
Photo by: Ford
“We have taken many experimental approaches to new suppliers,” he said. “You know, it’s a completely different way of building the car. New workstation designs. All new IT solutions to support the release of parts. There’s so much experimental stuff for Ford that now we’re just focusing on landing the plane.”
But Farley said the UEV project is critical to Ford’s ability to compete with Chinese automakers, both abroad and in the United States.
Earlier this week, after touring a Ford truck plant in Michigan, President Donald Trump He stressed that he is open to Chinese vehicles They are sold in the United States, as long as they are manufactured domestically. “If they want to come and build a factory and hire you and hire your friends and neighbors, that’s great, I love that,” Trump said at the Detroit Economic Club. “Let China in, let Japan in.”
That probably wasn’t music to the ears of U.S. auto executives. Farley himself has He stressed repeatedly Chinese automakers outperform American companies in terms of technology, costs and profitability. At CES last week, Chinese auto group Geely gave its strongest hints yet about when it might announce its entry into the United States.
“They are the most important competitors these days, along with the South Koreans,” Farley said of Chinese automakers. While he said he “can’t speak for” Trump, he added that “that the president of the United States is thinking about this is a very healthy development. I’m very encouraged about that, and I think we’ll have a great discussion as a country. There’s a lot to be said about what these policies should be.”
Meanwhile, Farley demurred when asked more about what forms the UEV platform could take, including whether it could support something like next-gen. Mustang Mach E. He added: “I have a lot of thoughts about this idea, but I’m not ready to talk about it.”
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
