Ford’s revolutionary $46K electric ute plans confirmed: New electric dual-cab to be cheaper than 2026 Ford Ranger 4WD as Blue Oval bets big on China-style manufacturing to challenge the 2026 BYD Shark 6 at its own game

Ford has confirmed its much-discussed plans for a new and much more efficient fully electric small car platform, which will debut with an electric ute designed to be even more affordable than the Ranger.

The new four-door small truck rides on the brand’s new Universal EV Platform, which the brand said will be ‘electric, fun to drive, and digitally advanced’.

It will be built in America in a re-developed manufacturing campus (at the cost of US$5 billion) designed to mirror the highly efficient manufacturing operations in China.

The ute itself is described as being ‘As fast as a Mustang EcoBoost. More passenger space than the latest Toyota RAV4, with a frunk and a bed’.

Where this vehicle leaves the brand’s existing portfolio, consisting of the Maverick SUV-based pick-up for the US market, or the Ranger, assembled in right-hand drive in Thailand for Australia, remains to be seen.

Ford’s target $30k price tag (roughly $46k AUD) is less than the most affordable 4x4 Ranger (XL - $48,230). Whether the American giant will be able to scale production of its affordable EV for markets outside North America will be interesting to watch.

The universal platform may debut with an affordable ute, but will be the basis for a full family of vehicles, ranging from the ute to a seven-seat SUV.

Ford’s new ute will face a challenge from the also-American-built Slate Auto pick-up, which is a stripped-back small ute designed to start at an even lower price, around US$25k (AU$38,400). Ford said its electric ute won’t be a “stripped-down old-school vehicle” like its Amazon-backed rival.

Ford said additional specifications for this “midsize electric truck” will be communicated at a later date.

The Ford ute will achieve a lower cost thanks to new production methodology, which Ford CEO Jim Farley said is the result of the brand moving away from the traditional moving assembly line to something more modern. In addition, Ford will be the first automaker to build prismatic LFP batteries in the US.

Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) batteries are more affordable with, generally, lower power output, than their Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) counterparts. Most LFP batteries are exported from China.

The new platform reduces total parts by 20 per cent compared to a traditional vehicle, having 25 per cent less fasteners, 40 per cent less workstations, and 15 per cent faster assembly time. The brand also claims vehicles based on this new underpinnings will cost less to run over five years than a used Tesla Model Y.

Ford has delayed upcoming large vehicle plans, including a next-generation F150 Lightning and Transit van replacement, in favour of this all-in approach on the new platform. The new versions of these larger vehicles now won’t hit the market until 2028, after the planned release window for the new ute.

While it's unclear whether Ford is plotting right-hand drive production for its upcoming range of affordable EVs, if delivered locally, the ute would face competition from the BYD Shark 6 (a plug-in hybrid), or potentially Geely's fully electric Radar RD6 which has yet to be confirmed for Australia, but is sold in right-hand drive nearby in Thailand.