As far as I can tell, it's made up of people who bounce between SoCal EV startups as when as they go out of business.
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The first product of that effort – a midsize electric pickup – is promised for 2027 as Ford’s debut in the sub-$40k EV truck space.
But there’s no faith using Hybrid as interim corrective action which indicates ford sees this as a problem needing to be solved. Doug they have no faith in you. In fact, they announced hybrid versions across ICE lineup by 2030 which means they are scared. Chasing two rabbits at the same time and catching neither. Not a good strategy that requires significant all in investment. Are you winning, son?
How are things going in CA? Is the company saved yet?
This aged as expected
CA team can’t deliver asking Dearborn folks to sign NDA’s. Total joke.
It must be nice not having to worry about what customers think while in a perpetual state of development fueled by investment scams.
The skunkworks team is free from FEDE and all the other Ford bureaucracy b.s.
Maybe someday the rest of the company can follow this path.
don't forget skunkworks/AI in Portland, Oregon.
I have to wonder, is this new skunk werks team also constrained to using WERS and FEDE?
Or are they annointed by DF to be free of all the burden the Dearborn team is forced to endure with their 40 year old design process tools?
It must be something to have full clean sheet authority. The joy it would be to be completely unencumbered of the Ford process and the decades of tech debt legacy.
Laughed when I read this boast. 40 percent of cost is unknown. Will it be sub 30k and profitable? This was all before the prospect tariffs. Better to remain silent, than remove all doubt.
In 40 years in the industry, I’ve seen a lot of game changer products, but the midsize electric pickup designed by our California team has got to be one of the most exciting. It’s incredible package and consumer technology for a segment we know well. It matches the cost structure of any Chinese auto manufacturer building in Mexico in the future. How do we know that? Because 60% of the BOM [Bill of Materials] has already been quoted,” Jim Farley said at the beginning of the Ford Q3 2024 earning call
DF is very likely a key leader of the skunkworks. Which makes sense.
appropriately name... skunk=sticks.
Ford bought into the idea that it’s a software company that sells cars, which is monumentally stupid and certainly something overpaid consultants came up with.
How about we just focus on making quality, affordable ICE vehicles? Reduce the BEV footprint to just big enough to be able to pivot in case there is a revolutionary improvement in battery tech (which is always 3-5 years away).