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During a second quarter earnings call on July 30, Ford CEO Jim Farley named August 11, 2025 as the date when the company would take the wraps off its latest plan to become a leader of the EV revolution.
CleanTechnica readers will recall that last year, Farley announced he had been driving a Xiaomi SU7 for 6 months and the car was so good, he didn’t want to give it up.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Farley and an executive leadership team from Ford went to China earlier this year to study how Chinese auto companies operate. The lessons learned from that experience are now being applied throughout the company as it adjusts its marketing plans for the US and other countries.
“On August 11, that will be a big day for all of us at Ford,” Farley said on the July 30 call.
“We will be in Kentucky to share more about our plans to design and build a breakthrough electric vehicle and a platform in the US. This is a Model-T moment for us at Ford. A chance to bring a new family of vehicles to the world that offer incredible technology, efficiency, space, and features.”
The key to the new marketing plan is to make manufacturing and selling electric vehicles profitable. Until now, Ford has been losing money every quarter in its EV division, known officially as Model e. In Q2 2025, the company posted a $1.3 billion loss for the division—slightly more than the same quarter last year.
Ford was fast out of the gate with its F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit cargo van, but hasn't brought any new EVs to market in North America recently.
Meanwhile, General Motors has introduced several EVs, including the Cadillac Lyriq, Otiq, Vistique, Escalade IQ, and Chevrolet Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV, as well as the GMC Hummer EV.
Farley said Ford now believes the EV market is best suited for small electric vehicles designed for urban commuting. While sales of existing EVs have floundered, a Skunkworks team in California has been developing a new architecture for affordable small EVs that will actually be profitable.
According to TechCrunch, the team is led by former Tesla executive Alan Clark and includes talent from Tesla, Rivian, Apple, and Lucid Motors.
The first vehicle using the new platform is expected to be a midsize electric pickup truck, scheduled for release in 2027.
Farley suggests the new platform may support a number of “top hats” — vehicle bodies (sedans, SUVs, crossovers) sharing the same underpinnings.
The company has hinted that these vehicles will feature “personalized digital experiences.”
“We really see, not the global (automakers) as our competitive set for our next generation of EVs, we see the Chinese. Companies like Geely, BYD,” Farley said.
“That’s how we built our vehicle. How we’ve engineered what kind of supply chain we’ve used and the kind of low content in our manufacturing.”
The big announcement will take place at the Ford assembly plant in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2023, Ford and the UAW struck a deal that would put the plant “truly at the center of the universe for EV production and EV innovation.” Ford committed to investing $1.2 billion in the facility to support an all-new EV product.
Farley also highlighted the importance of Ford’s new battery factory in Marshall, Michigan:
“It’s a big advantage for the company. We’re the first one to build LFP batteries at scale. It also has a production tax credit and we’re thankful that Congress upheld that.”
Ford is relying on LFP technology from CATL, the largest battery manufacturer in the world. However, due to political tensions, Ford has been downplaying its partnership with CATL, as Chinese firms face increasing scrutiny in the US.
Farley explained that market shifts, including consumer demand and evolving government policies, have prompted Ford to rethink its EV strategy.
Ford will now focus on launching fewer vehicle variants ("top hats") and targeting segments where EVs can be profitable.
The company is also pursuing an "all of the above" approach:
“We’ve definitely moved out launches, we’ve canceled some products, we’ve made the right choices in terms of battery chemistry change, like our LFP in Michigan.”
“Our EVs are coming out in the next year or two,” Farley said.
“You’re going to see a lot of news out from Ford on our EVs. Our strategy’s very simple: We believe the only way to really compete effectively with the Chinese, over the globe on EVs, is to go and really push ourselves to radically re-engineer and transform our engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing process.”
Ironically, Western automakers originally taught the Chinese how to manufacture cars. Now, the Chinese are leading the way in EV production — and US companies are learning from them.
Farley said Ford may partner regionally where needed and believes that the company has benefited from acting quickly.
A “Model T moment” is a bold prediction. The industry is watching to see whether Farley and Ford can deliver.
Will August 11 be a turning point for Ford—and the American EV market? For now, the mood is cautiously hopeful.