An innovative new production process will bring the new pickup to life. Ford’s new entry-level electric pickup will be similar in size to an old Ranger. The long-awaited pickup, potentially dubbed Ranchero, will launch next year. Just days after Ford’s long-awaited baby electric pickup was caught under camouflage in the United States, Ford has gone ahead and launched a website for it, kicking off its own teaser campaign for the truck. The disguised prototypes each carry a scannable QR code that points to a dedicated Ford site, which congratulates visitors for “spotting a unicorn” and adds three videos that show the truck being put through its paces. Ford, like many of its rivals, has pulled back hard on new EV investment as demand softens and US policy keeps changing. This truck is the exception and so is the Universal EV platform underneath it, which the company is still betting on. Read: Ford’s $30K Electric Truck Looks So Tiny It Makes A Maverick Seem Grown Up In the first of the clips, the new baby electric pickup from Ford is shown at a dedicated testing center, before it cuts to a pair of shots showing it being driven around in the snow. The video then offers us a brief look at the manufacturing plant where the truck is coming to life, as well as how its simplified platform is assembled. In another video, Ford senior vehicle software specialist Chris Kirkland shows more of the truck’s winter testing in Northern Michigan. This video provides an excellent look at the model, which appears to be similar in size to the old Ford Ranger from the 1990s, albeit with four doors. What About The Design And Price? The truck’s design is quite interesting and, due to the electric powertrain, it can get away with a very short hood. In addition, it has a steeply raked windshield to aid in aerodynamics. Key elements of the EV being perfected in the snow include the stability and traction control systems, and the truck’s electronic power-assisted steering (EPAS). Ford has also confirmed what we had suspected, that the baby electric pickup will launch next year. Key specifications and pricing won’t be known until we get closer to its unveiling, but it’s expected to launch from around $30,000 and will come fitted with a lithium-iron phosphate battery pack.
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