Fathom parked at Ford WHQ (photo)

[ScooterAsheville]

Like a broken record, I have to remind everyone that it's not about the Fathom. It's about the UEV platform. Fathom is just a recon platoon leading the way before the main battalion assault.

Doesn't have to make money, though I'm sure Ford would love it if it does. As long as the other five or so top hats to follow atop the platform do make money.

 

[TNFurb]

Like a broken record, I have to remind everyone that it's not about the Fathom. It's about the UEV platform. Fathom is just a recon platoon leading the way before the main battalion assault.

Doesn't have to make money, though I'm sure Ford would love it if it does. As long as the other five or so top hats to follow atop the platform do make money.

Fair point. I must say, I’ve found it a little puzzling that Ford chose a “truck” body style for their first vehicle off the UEV platform. Especially since they’ve killed the Escape and the Bronco Sport doesn’t have a hybrid option. If they would have come out with a small crossover body reasonably equipped at the same sub $30k starting price, I think they would have really killed it and forced lots of other brands to change their prices and approach.

 

[Maverstang]

Fair point. I must say, I’ve found it a little puzzling that Ford chose a “truck” body style for their first vehicle off the UEV platform. Especially since they’ve killed the Escape and the Bronco Sport doesn’t have a hybrid option. If they would have come out with a small crossover body reasonably equipped at the same sub $30k starting price, I think they would have really killed it and forced lots of other brands to change their prices and approach.

Agreed… if they had put the hybrid in the Bronco Sport, they’d be flying off the shelf in the current fuel price climate. There is no technical reason they couldn't have done it, the Bronco Sport is the same C2 platform as Escape/Maverick, so it would have slipped right in. The only possible reason I can think of is limited HF transmission capacity at the Van Dyke plant, but in this age of hybrid demand you’d think they would have doubled down on that.

The choice of a UEV pickup configuration first is probably because Ford wants to demonstrate product leadership in an iconic market segment they believe they own. What is more interesting is the announcement of a gas Escape replacement in 2028/2029, after Farley said he was done with that commoditised market segment. That suggests a UEV based 2-row CUV is well down the priority list. Also Ford Pro may be pushing hard for a mid size UEV van.

The production plan is changing so rapidly I can’t tell for sure if Ford is demonstrating outstanding product planning agility or just planning confusion. Hopefully it’s the former.

 

[Snakebitten]

Inexpensive entry level small SUV/Crossover EV's are already available. And sales are dissapointing currently, as well.
A truck probably is a safer bet to get the platform rolling and establishing credibility, while not blending into the sea of Chevy Bolts and Nissan Leafs?

There's a lot of tech being stuffed into the base model UEV too. So if the Fathom does make at least a sizable splash in the American market, and is well received like the Maverick was, an Escape-like UEV might hit the showroom with some goodwill already behind its branding.

I think the truck was a safer bet. A small passenger van might have similar advantages too. Especially if available in passenger and cargo formats.

The real pressure, in my opinion, is for Ford to NOT experience any newsworthy snafus out of the gate. It doesn't have to be perfect, of course, but it'd be great if they could do as well as they did with the Maverick.

 

[TNFurb]

Inexpensive entry level small SUV/Crossover EV's are already available. And sales are dissapointing currently, as well.
A truck probably is a safer bet to get the platform rolling and establishing credibility, while not blending into the sea of Chevy Bolts and Nissan Leafs?

There's a lot of tech being stuffed into the base model UEV too. So if the Fathom does make at least a sizable splash in the American market, and is well received like the Maverick was, an Escape-like UEV might hit the showroom with some goodwill already behind its branding.

I think the truck was a safer bet. A small passenger van might have similar advantages too. Especially if available in passenger and cargo formats.

The real pressure, in my opinion, is for Ford to NOT experience any newsworthy snafus out of the gate. It doesn't have to be perfect, of course, but it'd be great if they could do as well as they did with the Maverick.

The only thing in your comment I disagree slightly with is that there are “affordable” CUV’s available. I don’t consider $40k+ affordable. I know there are some that start out under $40k but they quickly go above that when adding any basic option that most people want. The exception might be the brand new KIA EV3. All of the others I have liked at resulted in a price tag of $40k+.