TechCrunch Mobility: Ford’s big bet

Summary

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Ford made its big EV announcement early this week — a plan to invest $2 billion to transform its Louisville Assembly Plant into a factory capable of making a new generation of affordable EVs, starting with a midsize pickup truck with a base price of $30,000 that is slated to launch in 2027. Amid the presentations from various executives, union leaders, and employees, CEO Jim Farley said something I couldn’t quite shake: “There are no guarantees with this project. We’re doing so many new things, I can’t tell you with 100% uncertainty that this will all go just right; it is a bet. There is risk.” The bet? The company put together a skunkworks team, which worked for a couple of years to find a way to build a line of affordable electric vehicles that could be made in the United States faster, more efficiently, and with fewer parts, all while preserving profit margins. To do that, the company has scrapped the century-old system that made Ford a household name and developed a new three-pronged assembly line that uses more automation and unicastings. Ford, like many other automakers, is being squeezed by tariffs, slower than expected EV demand, and the looming threat of competition from China. The company has to act if it wants to stay relevant. But is this the move? Ford can’t really use this manufacturing technique at other factories, since it is pinned to how the vehicle is designed and then split into three unicastings — a major departure from the method used to assemble its other vehicles. What this means is we’re witnessing a $5 billion experiment ($3 billion for the LFP battery factory and $2 billion for Louisville) to keep jobs in the United States. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 A little bird Image Credits:Bryce Durbin A few little birds told us that ren...