The crossover SUV will be Ford’s lowest-priced vehicle, starting at around $25,000. According to dealers who were shown a preview of the vehicle, it will not be based on the Universal EV platform.
Is Ford launching a $25,000 EV crossover SUV?
After announcing the name and starting price of its new midsize electric pickup last week, the Fathom, Ford is apparently working on an even more affordable vehicle.
Ford offered dealers a glimpse of its upcoming lineup last week during a private meeting in Las Vegas, including a new crossover SUV set to arrive in 2029.
According to an Automotive News report, attendees said the entry-level model was a boxy, wide SUV. One said it resembled the first-generation Escape.
Ford did not reveal many details outside of previewing early mock-ups in a video, but the crossover is expected to start at around $25,000. That would make it the brand’s lowest-priced vehicle positioned below the current Maverick.
Surprisingly, the new SUV will not ride on Ford’s Universal EV platform, like the Fathom pickup. Instead, it will reportedly be offered as a hybrid and a gas-powered vehicle.
The new crossover SUV is expected to go into production in 2029 at Ford’s Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico.
In the meantime, Ford will open pre-orders for the all-electric Fathom pickup in early 2027, starting at $28,350.
Ford said the EV pickup will compete “in the heart of the affordable EV market,” starting at under $30,000. Deliveries are set to begin later in 2027.
Electrek’s Take
After investing so much time and resources in developing the new Universal EV platform, why not release an all-electric SUV on it?
Top comment by BarelyLucid
“After investing so much time and resources in developing the new Universal EV platform, why not release an all-electric SUV on it?”
The answer is pretty straightforward. Those resources were invested in a factory in Louisville, not the factory in Mexico where this SUV will be produced. An ICE SUV from an ICE factory in 2029 doesn’t mean they won’t also have an EV SUV from an EV factory on a similar timeframe. A lot rides on the Fathom being both a production and market success, which would push ford to continue/accelerate plans to covert plants to the new EV platform production process.
Ford has said the UEV platform is flexible enough to support vehicles ranging from B-car-sized vehicles to commercial vans, so we could still see an affordable electric crossover at some point. When and if remains up in the air.
In the first half of 2026, four out of the top five best-selling EVs in the US were relatively affordable SUVs, including the Chevy Equinox EV, Toyota bZ, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Tesla Model Y. The Tesla Model 3 ranked second.
Ford’s Mustang Mach-E ranked seventh, but sales dropped 46% from the first half of 2025 to just 11,632 units.
Should Ford replace the aging Mach-E with an electric entry-level crossover SUV? It seems like a no-brainer. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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