Ford's plan to build a cheap electric ute and other affordable EVs to tackle the growing might of China's BYD, MG, GWM and more - report

An “extinction level” threat from Chinese electric car makers has Ford panicking in the United States and secretly turning its focus to small EVs including an electric ute, according to a new report.

The Bloomberg Businessweek report says Ford has assembled a specialised team of 100 people under the leadership of former Tesla engineering lead Alan Clark with the mission to develop a new multipurpose electric platform that can be used for a small SUV and tiny pick-up.

According to the report Ford plans for the team to have its first vehicle on the road in 2026 at the latest, with a price point half that of most current EVs on the market.

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Initially Ford was examining ways to bring the price down by using lower-cost lithium-iron phosphate batteries for about 30 per cent less than the lithium-ion batteries, but inside information suggests the company has shelved that plan and is looking into different battery tech to save money.

Ford's Maverick small pick-up is currently available with a petrol engine or a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. The specialised team tasked with the job of producing a small electric platform may use the existing Maverick pick up to underpin the EV in a time-saving move.

The Maverick EV ute could also make it here to Australia with Ford recently trademarking the Maverick name locally. The timing could help Ford combat Chinese brand BYD which plans to launch its electrified ute here within the next two years.

Ford’s reaction to the Chinese carmarker's affordable electric vehicles comes before any have even been sold in the US. Currently brands such as BYD, GWM and MG are not operating in the States, but American car manufacturers are already feeling the pressure with fears that they won’t be able to match the low prices and relatively good quality of the Chinese vehicles.

In Australia, brands such as BYD, GWM, Chery and MG have experienced outstanding success. In 2023 BYD sold 11,042 Attos 3s. To put that in perspective Honda’s biggest-selling model last year was the CR-V with 7808 sales.

Other Chinese brands such as MG are ranking among Australia’s most popular car makes with the 2023 results showing MG now in seventh place in our top 10 best-selling brands.