Everyone is freaking out about China and the best part of it is this is a slow-motion, Austin Powers-with-the-steamroller type of potential collision that could take months or years. Ford is betting it has at least two years to make something happen.
There’s a big report from OG Keith Naughton today and it’s mostly a rehash of stuff that’s already been reported, but it does include some juicy nuggets on Ford’s skunkworks EV plans.
While the fear of Chinese cars is strong, GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has a solution: 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, even if they come from Mexico. Could it work?
Helping slow down the transition into EVs will be revised EPA rules which, yeah, will reportedly not be as strict as initially feared.
And, finally, the UAW gets one step closer to finally unionizing the VW plant in Chattanooga.
What We Know About Ford’s Tiny Electric Car Trio
We’ve already talked about the small EV platform being developed by a Ford Skunkworks team, which the world first learned about from Ford CEO Jim Farley himself, who said:
We’re also adjusting our capital, switching more focused on to smaller EV products.
Now, this is important because we made a bet in silence two years ago. We developed a super-talented skunkworks team to create a low-cost EV platform. It was a small group, small team, some of the best EV engineers in the world, and it was separate from the Ford mothership. It was a start-up.
We later learned it was Alan Clarke, formerly of Tesla and the Model Y, who was running that team. Now, via this big Bloomberg Businessweek piece from Keith, we’ve got some other juicy details:
Bloomberg Businessweek has learned that this team consists of fewer than 100 people working on a new electric platform to underpin a compact SUV, a small pickup and, potentially, a vehicle that could be used for ride-hailing, according to one of the people. The first model will arrive in late 2026, starting around $25,000—matching the expected base price of a low-cost EV that Tesla is working on, the person said.
Initially, Ford’s compact EV will be powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery, which is about 30% cheaper than traditional lithium-ion batteries, but it’s exploring other battery technology to cut costs further, the person said.
Let’s break this down a bit because there’s a lot in these two paragraphs.
First, An LFP battery makes perfect sense here from a cost and use perspective, assuming we’re getting something that can compete with the sub-$10k BYD Seagull and impending Tesla Model 2.
Second, the pricing makes perfect sense as the sub-$25k price point is the magic price point a lot of automakers in the United States are aiming for in the cheap EV space. With the Bolt going on hiatus, the closest we have is the $35k Volvo EX30 and $25,000 Nissan Leaf.
Third, everyone assumed it was going to come as a compact hatch/SUV/crossover-type vehicle. It’s the most space-for-your-buck and Ford is basically: Trucks/SUVs + Mustang, and there’s already a Mustang EV.
Fourth, a small truck eh? Interestingly, Ford’s already trying to out Cybertruck the Cybertruck with a next-gen EV truck codenamed T3 that’ll debut next year. Certainly, the huge success of the Ford Maverick shows there’s a path forward for affordable small trucks. A minitruck! I can’t wait. This all sounds like the Ford 24.7 concept, which isn’t a bad thing.
Fifth, the vehicle for “ride-hailing” is interesting. Electric cars make for good ride-hailing vehicles in urban areas and also have the kinds of use cycles where LFP battery chemistry probably works better than NCM. I sort of picture a variant of the hatch but with a simplified driver setup and more space for luggage and passengers. Ford is great at fleets and this fits nicely into Ford’s larger Ford Pro strategy of integrating software into its vehicles.
I’m anxious to see this thing, but short of a leak we’re probably not seeing it for another year or so at the earliest.
Trump: 100% Tariffs On Mexican-Made Chinese Cars
A lot of people focused on the whole “bloodbath” if I’m not elected part of former President Trump’s speech, but I’m going to focus on the part about putting a 100% tariff on EVs from Chinese brands made in Mexico because this is a car site and the rest of it is out of scope and, frankly, depressing.
People are worried about Chinese cars. Some in the industry are calling Chinese cars an existential threat. The rhetoric is wild.
Let’s look at the actual quote, via Politico, which includes the little bloodbath bit mixed in with everything else:
“China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re going to build the cars in Mexico, and they think they’re going to sell those cars into the United States — no,” Trump said Saturday during a rally near Dayton, Ohio. “We’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars — if I get elected.”
“Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it,” he continued, adding: “But they’re not going to sell those cars.”
There are some important details here to discuss, so let’s take it as it comes.
Yes, Chinese automakers are expanding their production to Mexico. That is true, though those automakers are saying that’s because they want to serve the Mexican and South American markets.
As President, Trump did indeed slap a 25% tariff on Chinese cars that President Biden upheld, meaning that Chinese cars face a 27.5% tariff. That’s a lot for any car, but companies like BYD can probably build competitive cars that are still cheap even with that tariff. Saying he would add a 100% tariff definitely sounds steep, but I’d argue that even at 100% it may not be enough to keep all Chinese cars out.
As President, Trump also signed the revised U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which sought to fix some of the issues with NAFTA. Ironically, that new agreement might make something like bringing over Mexican-built Chinese cars even easier and, at the same time, it could make enforcing a unilateral 100% tariff harder without reopening the agreement.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter because there’s clear bipartisan support to make Chinese EVs not happen here, and President Biden is exploring a ban on “connected” Chinese cars, which is any car with a modem, which is basically any modern car.
EPA Likely To Revise EV Mileage Requirements In A Way Automakers Will Like
This time last year we wrote about the EPA’s strictest-ever fuel economy mandates. There was a strong reaction from automakers and a general sense recently that the Biden EPA might be encouraged to back down a bit.
According to Reuters, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Under the initial EPA proposal covering 2027-2032, automakers were expected to aim for EVs to constitute 60% of their new vehicle production by 2030 and 67% by 2032 to meet stricter emissions requirements.Automakers are expected to be able by producing significantly fewer EVs in 2030 under the final rules. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation representing nearly all major automakers except Tesla had urged EPA to finalize rules resulting in closer to a 50% EV sales target by 2030.The final rule softens the pace of improvements and then sharply ramps up stringency requirements through 2032, the sources added.
VW Seems Kinda Resigned To This Union Thing
The UAW has tried a bunch of times to unionize the Volkswagen plant in Chatanooga, Tennessee, and narrowly missed as recently as 2019.
Given all the success of the UAW recently it’s not a surprise that workers at the plant are trying again. The UAW also said it wouldn’t move for a vote until 70% of the employees there sign a union card and the announcement of a push for a vote/recognition is a sign that the UAW has hit that threshold.
CNN got a statement from Volkswagen and it lacks a lot of the punch we’re used to from other automakers:
The VW Chattanooga plant is the only factory operated by VW that does not have union representation. But the union lost two previous votes when it attempted to organize the plant – in 2014 and again in 2019. But the union gained ground, winning 48% of the vote in the 2019 election.
“We respect our workers’ right to a democratic process and to determine who should represent their interests,” said a statement from VW. “Volkswagen is proud of our working environment in Chattanooga that provides some of the best paying jobs in the area.”
Is this happening? It feels like this is happening. Honestly, it might be better for VW to just voluntarily recognize the union and try to get a better deal.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Shout out to Sarah.
The Big Question
What should a little electric Ford truck look like? How small is too small?
If it’s the Chinese brands thing that’s the problem, Stellantis already sells a rebadged Chinese-built Trumpchi in Mexico as a Dodge, just slap US domestic brands on Mexican-built Chinese cars and sell them that way.
Yes, the feds still put tariffs on Made in China Buicks, but US automakers have a very long tradition of building domestic badged cars in Mexico and we have a very long tradition of free trade for Mexican built vehicles, suddenly trying to argue that one Mexican-built Dodge, for example, would be exempt from tariffs, but another Mexican-built Dodge is hit with 100% would be pretty hard to sell, vs the current policy for all cars built in China
hehehe a Chinese car called Trumpchi 😛
I had to google it to see if it was real. And it is!
“A lot of people focused on the whole “bloodbath” if I’m not elected part of former President Trump’s speech, “
And as usual, whatever Crooked Trump says, the OPPOSITE is far closer to the truth.
Truth is, this election is gonna be between 2 lizardpeople. We gotta keep you distracted while we finish the Plan.
Eat the
richLizards!https://joshuabcoleman.com/lizard-on-a-stick-recipe/
Zero chance those ever make it to production: it appears you would have great visibility from inside and that’s not allowed!
A small pickup and a compact SUV. How about a fricking hatchback or sedan? Some of us enjoy driving cars and find them pretty damn practical. And maybe it would compete with the Chinese cars everyone is so panicked about. Isolationist, protectionist economic policies are bad.
EV hatchback you say? Can I interest you in a freshly debuted Rivian R3?
That looks like a Lada!
(Ducks shoe thrown by Adrian)
I love it, but it’s still a crossover. Not a proper hatchback.
What’s the difference if the crossover is lowered?
I don’t understand the small truck thing. I often think the Maverick in a small SUV form would sell way better. I have a RAM 1500 and honestly, the truck form factor doesn’t offer much utility other than I need it to tow. The bed is too short to fit much, the sides aren’t high enough to put much under the a tonneau cover. An SUV, hatchback or wagon fits more stuff and fits longer stuff. Are people using the Maverick for truck things, or are they getting it because its an affordable and fuel efficient package?
As a current Maverick owner, I got it because it’s a great daily driver (with 42 mpg city) that does anything I need, within reason. Moving? I can tow a small U-Haul trailer with an added purchase of a $30 hitch. On a road trip and my girlfriend randomly spots a set of bookcases she wants for her classroom? Throw them in the bed with the tailgate down. It’s also been great for camping and I appreciate the outside storage to keep dirt and/or bad smells out of the cabin.
My own comparison is coming from previous ownership or using as a daily: a ’98 Ford Taurus wagon, a ’08 Toyota Prius, a ’05 Prius (black ice totaled the first one), and an ’18 Hyundai Elantra GT (ie: a Korean VW Golf). Other vehicles currently in the family’s stable include a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, a 2017 Escape with a 2.0L turbo and tow package, and a ’97 Mustang GT convertible.
While all of these different vehicles have their own pros and cons, the Maverick has been the most satisfied I’ve ever been with a vehicle.
Great write-up, from an actual owner instead of the theoretical musings in which we often engage!
Seems like the Maverick nicely fills a niche in the way yet another SUV just wouldn’t.
Same thing my dad says about his Ridgeline. An cuv you can throw manure coverd boots in without smelling them.
I appreciate all the great write-up from happy Maverick owners!
I’ve never been able to enjoy large trucks. If I am actually towing weight, they are amazing. But I use the crap out of my small truck. I have been driving 1980’s Nissan trucks for almost 20 years. I love them. I can’t imagine how a closed vehicle can carry more than an open vehicle if I’m loading it. I can extend long stuff out the bed, and stack things higher than the bed sides no problem. The maverick is still 40% larger than my truck.
Isn’t that the Bronco Sport? They just don’t offer the hybrid drivetrain, which I think is a mistake.
You mean an Escape?
The Maverick is literally built on the Escape chassis
22 awd Maverick owner here – love it for the regular family of four stuff plus picking up large or dirty things: full-size couch, sheets of plywood and other lumber, 10 or bags of mulch etc etc
Also fun to drive!
I’m getting very strong 021C vibes from these! https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ford_021c_2.jpeg
LOL yeah right Ford is making a tiny EV pickup! Are you really that gullible? Are you fucking kidding me?
Ford and Detroit in general is why we have these fucking expensive huge-ass trucks in the first place. No way in HELL will it actually happen!
The Mexican Chinese tariff shit won’t happen for the reasons you said. Why can’t other companies just make better cars? It’s Detroit’s fault for leaving the cheap car segment and leaving such a gaping hole open for the Chinese to enter.
VW’s situation is funny because they did used to have a UAW-run factory, and they were even the first UAW plant from a foreign nameplate (their old facility in PA).
The reason VW wants the union is because of the works council system. In the US, the NLRB ruled it to be illegal without a union. That’s why VW has been much less hostile than Nissan and others have been to the union.
However, the UAW still has too much baggage. They give unions a bad name, and even other unions don’t like them. Sometimes, I think a different union would’ve been more successful in getting a contract.
It strikes me as the outcome of Ford’s (and the rest of the domestics) lifetime focus on the short term while simultaneously betting on (exaggerated?) longer term possibilities.
Make money now on giant trucks, and hope electric vehicles solve everything later. Not totally crazy, but it’s just there’s a big gap between now and then, and it’s unclear they’re thinking about that part at all.
“The Mexican Chinese tariff shit won’t happen for the reasons you said. Why can’t other companies just make better cars? It’s Detroit’s fault for leaving the cheap car segment and leaving such a gaping hole open for the Chinese to enter.”
We can do the right thing, or we can do the easy thing.
We all know what the typical mouth-breather would choose.
We need smaller battery packs and faster recharge times. The cost could come down if we were willing to take less range. But how about making these packs super modular and upgradable/swappable over time, so you can have a cheaper small pack now, and upgrade to a larger or more efficient one down the road, when costs come down and range goes up (and hopefully weight goes down).
Psh if we hit 25% EV production by 2030 I’ll be shocked. Some kind of massive battery breakthrough would have to happen that decreased price. As far as I know, there isn’t anything to point to that would be fully weaponized and ready to go in time for development in, say, 2027.
Give me an electric VW Caddy or give me a bike!
Why not both?
Maverick is a good size, and is already a good compromise of bed space, utility, efficiency, and passenger room. I don’t see much room in the U.S. for a smaller option, despite all the folks who posture and alleged that they’d buy a small regular/single cab pickup if it came out and were priced at/below Maverick levels.
My brother has an ’07 Ranger extended cab (and had an older single cab one before that) and getting in/out and getting situated really drives home how much smaller the older trucks were, and not in a great way. The Maverick does a much better job making use of its front-row space, despite being FWD-based. Given the sales numbers, I think Ford did a great job finding the right niche of size and capability. Would an extended cab with a longer bed (like my brother’s) do better? Maybe, but by the same token the number of ladder racks and such I see on Mavericks indicates that owners have already devised a solution to the shorter bed issue.
That said, something Jimny-sized that I could get serviced at a Ford dealership has an impressive level of appeal.
If they produced something along the lines of the Telo truck that was proposed last year–which is meaningfully smaller than the Maverick, but has a lot more usability–I think a lot of people would be into that. I think it had a 5-foot bed that extended to a full 8-feet with the midgate. The Telo is vaporware of course, but Ford might be able to produce something similar.
Never heard of the Telo truck, thanks for pointing it out. Very interesting, I would seriously consider it if it ever came out.
I daily drive a full size truck and have been actively looking for and waiting for a commuter that has a tiny cabin area. Something like a smart or a mini in size. There were some options a few years ago, but small cars dont last long up here. A single cab or extended cab micro truck would be something I was interested in. An El Camino would be cool, too. The lack of interesting small cars is a shame. I did rent a mini cooper convertible, out in California last year, and found it a so-so experience. Lots of road noise and seats werent that comfortable. I look forward to a really small truck or 2 seat hatch for commuting purposes when weather allows. Electric would be great, too!
I’m always interested when companies do a special “skunkworks” division for projects like these, if they really can do it better as a small team it seems there is too much red tape/inefficiencies in the larger organization. It just seems like a lack of faith in either the larger organization or in the project and they don’t want to commit a ton of resources to something they aren’t sure will work.
I’m not sure I really have a point in all of this and I do support getting more affordable EVs but if this is a better way why not do this for more programs? If it’s worse why do it at all?
Small teams can do a lot of prototyping and testing quickly, but it takes many more people to get the product production ready and viable. R&D programs within companies often operate like this, then the project is brought to everyone else to finish it. It can be good and bad.
It’s tricky to get right. With the properly picked team members & executive sponsorship, you can trust that the team will move faster, not break anything too badly, and deliver a better result in far less time than if you did it “normally”. With the wrong team or the wrong sponsorship, you’ll either get nothing or (even worse) quickly achieve worse results than normal. You really shouldn’t eliminate much red tape (checks and balances) for a team made up of or led by mediocre- to below-average performers, and there are only so many high performers to go around. Scaling up afterwards is a whole other issue.
Big companies aren’t set up to take big risks. In fact, they operate in ways that minimize their risks and maximize profits. So when they decide to do that, they need to step outside the usual ways of doing things, and that often means creating a financially separate business unit.
In all fairness to the media, a Presidential candidate saying there will be a bloodbath if he loses the election is going to suck the air out of the room. He may as well have called for a boycott of Taco Tuesdays for all the significance it has compared to promising even more post-election violence than we had the last time.
I think the main challenge for selling a small cheap electric truck will be that it has to be objectively cheap to sell in real numbers. $25k is way too close to the starting price of a Maverick hybrid IMO. You probably have to sneak it under $20k to get non-commercial buyers to buy it despite the range limitations and other compromises. A business that operates in a city would presumably have a dispatching station where they can quickly recharge their fleet during non-business hours. Someone living in an apartment might have to work charging into their schedule if they don’t have a place to plug it in overnight. If they at least have a parking space though a small hybrid car or truck will give them low operating costs with refueling that wont take up more than a few minutes a week. if you can make your electric vehicle cheap enough though i think there could be a decent market for it
All those dirty migrants and their Taco Tuesdays are destroying this country! 100% tariffs on all tortilla-based foodstuffs! If I lose the election, the streets will run red with salsa!
Illegal human here. Came for the 2024 election. Staying for the blood bath. /s
What a walking piece of fecal matter that turd truly is. This is the USA you pos dictator.
Bailing on this thread right here. It was interesting.
Not 100% a hustle and fleece, but not 0% either. Being able to suss out the news from the shill is called being an adult. Real news is real*. I know that’s a pretty radical statement to make these days, but here I am.
*In this particular case, it was taken out of context and would be considered unfair/trigger happy unless the person in discussion happens to already have one failed coup under their belt. Hyper-sensitivity isn’t unwarranted after the 50th indictment**
**I really don’t want to bring politics here, so I won’t be following up and swear off instigating anything off car topics***
***Mostly, but not politics..dont’ worry
Media was one of the Overlizards’ best ideas.
RE trucks, what I want to know is whether it would work, engineering-wise, to have both 2-door and 4-door options, with the extra length meaning extra batteries.
Let’s see, the Maverick is 16-8 long with a 10-0 wheelbase. The OG Ranger was 14-8 on a 9-0 wheelbase, with an extended bed version that was a foot longer overall with 6″ more wheelbase. We’re not selling max utility here, so I think we can aim for the smaller size. Let’s split the difference on the overhangs with the newer truck, to make room for crash protection et al. So let’s say we can build a modern, single cab pickup that’s 15-0 on a 9-0 wheelbase. For the extended cab version, the wheelbase stretches 15″, giving you 17-0 on a 10-3 wheelbase—just a touch bigger than the Mav.
What are the upsides? The truly small version A. is market-differentiated, and B. has a much smaller battery pack befitting its reduced size (a club cab weighs a LOT more than a single; not double, but more than just the extra length). Which means it’s a lot cheaper. When you stretch it, you get to a more typical arrangement with sufficient battery to carry the extra weight, and more room for eg extra motors.
But the point is to be able to bring to market something truly affordable, while using the same engineering to also create something that’s more typically priced, but also more typically sold. There’s always risk to going somewhere the market isn’t, but IMO we’ve seen the downside of OEMs fixating on high-end, full-function EVs. The Bolt was flawed, but it still sold like gangbusters in its late days. Give people the chance to get the smallest truck on the market for under $20k, even if most of them will glide upmarket to the 4 door with 4wd and bigger battery at $29k.
My vote for a small truck would be in the Dodge Rampage/VW Rabbit/BRAT scale. I did buy these when they were in production and they got all of my needs.
FCA/Stellantis still makes something like that, called Fiat Strada. It’s even sold as Ram 700 in some markets, including Mexico.
I’ve been psychically screaming at them for years to bring it here.
Brat was the first thing that came to mind for me, probably would have to leave the jump seats out these days.
Ford should just take the PHEV guts they had in the Escape and jam them in the Maverick(and Bronco Sport) and profit. For how small should they go, I agree with others, Maverick probably what the market will bear. 2 doors don’t sell well enough any more, and Leon’s(Americans) getting laaaarger.(sorry Pluto has Airplane on repeat lately).
I do like the idea of a ban on Chinese connected cars, as maybe that means we’ll get some unconnected EV options that I can just slap a Pioneer deck in and call it good? I miss not worrying about my stereo failing as I’d also lose the ability to turn on my AC. Last week the stereo in my Bolt decided to just not boot up for a while, no music, no backup camera, reduced hvac options(that I could see), if the stereo in my Ranger dies I just lose the radio, and I can go to Walmart and buy a replacement for $20. The stereo eventually restarted itself but by that time I could heard 3 songs, the wife and I just sat there in silence contemplating our life choices and that’s never a good idea.
What I’d really like to see is robust privacy laws that restrict what data all companies can mine and how they can store that data. We keep focusing on what data China can get and forgetting that the reason they can get all that data is that we accept that kind of data gathering in general. Strong data protection laws would make it unnecessary to specifically target Chinese companies because they would already require our data be treated properly (which should include US-based data centers and controls to avoid foreign intrusion).
(Bonus: this might make all automakers consider options with replaceable decks, since good data privacy laws would make gathering our data less profitable for all of them.)
Agreed! Having a Bolt and the whole lexis nexis fiasco it’s just getting sad. I do think car connectivity could be beneficial for traffic, but there has to be more regulation on the data collection/storage.
What if, some day, the Chicoms are smart enough to start making computers and smartphones???
I’m sure this is a joke based on the ubiquity of Chinese-made electronics in our country, but I’m not entirely sure what the punchline is. If it’s the fact that banning or taxing Chinese cars (or software) doesn’t actually protect us, I agree. We definitely need to enact privacy safeguards that cover all sorts of foreign and domestic products, not that there is much difference between the two, given global supply chains.
I’m alluding to the fact that worrying about cars as data-collection tools are, frankly, absurd. We all already carry fully networked data collection tools that are no doubt accessible by every geopolitical entity (domestic and foreign), if they so choose.
This is just bad old-fashioned protectionism. When did protectionism ever do us any good?
Yeah, that’s valid. That’s why anything worth taking seriously would have to be a comprehensive data privacy policy (they won’t, of course–too much money in data collection for their donors). Cars can collect a lot of data, sure, but not nearly as much as our computers, phones, tablets, etc.
Of course, this might score points with the automakers who don’t want the competition coming in, so it doesn’t matter if the stated goal is absurd.
Two big reasons the US gov is talking about banning connected cars from China: 1) China wouldn’t share all that juicy intel about US citizens with our feds 2) taking bribes and campaign support from China is still illegal and harder to get away with than golfing with detroit CEOs.
Came to check to see if this was already posted. It would be ironically hilarious if Chinese cars sold better with a specific ban on them being connected as people sought out cars with that as a feature. Them being the only unconnected manufacturers would be the only thing that would have me consider buying one. Worst case, the other manufacturers follow suit. I really don’t understand who’s buying al this data anyway and what they really do with it. Targeted ads, my ass—they already have plenty of damn data and the ads I see (admittedly rare with adblock) are barely better targeted toward me than if they asked Pee Wee Herman’s fortune teller what to do. Perhaps other people see well-tailored ads since I’m an odd case with quite eclectic and less common interests and I don’t buy much stuff outside of tools and supplies to make things (the best they generally do is think that I’m a fabrication shop/industrial firm and advertise bulk supplies or serious machines that are way out of my budget and space)?
I’d say the Maverick is about as small as most people would be willing to buy for a truck. Maaaaaybe a single cab version with a longer bed.
If I remember correctly (I’m too lazy to do a search right now), VW didn’t object to unionization attempts before – they actually wanted it because that’s how things are set up in Germany. The UAW just didn’t win the elections.
This is correct. In fact, the NLRB has ruled the works council system to be illegal in the US without a union.
Even VW was shocked that the union vote didn’t win.
If they could make an EV competitor to something like a Gator, and sell it for comparable or less it might be just right
I thought the 80s mini-trucks were just the right size, by the end of the 90s and early 00s they were getting too big and everything after that is behemoth size. Seriously a Tacoma wouldn’t fit in my garage and a Tundra wouldn’t even fit in my driveway. I’m not a contractor, I’m not carrying 4’x8′ sheets of plywood and I don’t need a 4 door truck. We need to bring back the reasonably sized mini trucks!
I don’t see the practical advantage to lift everything to chest-height or higher just to get it into the bed of a truck.
Even most American work-sites I’ve seen have been populated with >20yo Malibus/Impalas/Elantras, average construction workers aren’t paid enough to justify a pickup truck anyway (neither fuel, nor purchase cost).
Semi-counterpoint: I am a contractor and even I don’t need to be hauling large-scale materials every day. My big truck gets used 1-2x/week, but most of the time my old 94 Ranger does just fine and a modern version would be just fine for 80-90% of tradespeople. That said, utility greatly diminishes when a bed gets shorter than 6′ (maaaybe 5.5′). Tailgate down or with a flag attached I can still carry 8′ materials, or haul 1/2 yard of dirt/rock, with a 50% MPG boost versus a full-size. Single/extended cab with a real bed, great. Only option is a crew cab with a bed the size of a car trunk, not so much. Then again, it’s been a few decades since trucks were built primarily with an eye for doing truck stuff…
I agree, the small-ish 4 door trucks available today with tiny beds don’t make sense to me. I mean, I think the Santa Cruz and Maverick look great but I’d love to see a 2 door extended cab option to gain back some of that bed space.
I think the Maverick is about as small as the current market is going to really go for. As much as we’d LUV to see something smaller, I think the Maverick size is the current sweet spot for wide acceptance.
Ok now Chevrolet needs a small hybrid or full electric truck and call it LEV.
you shut your whore mouth
(jk, but also kind of not)
Just step up the fleet CAFE requirements and eliminate the giant “light truck” EPA loophole and let the market work it out. If EVs are the way, so be it. If PHEVs or some other tech can meet the requirements, that is ok too.
PHEVs are considered a significant part of some paths to compliance. We keep hearing about this as though it’s just an EV mandate, but it’s an efficiency mandate with most likely compliance paths involving a high percentage of EVs.
This bit’s disappointing to me. I think particulate filters on gassers would be a great move, especially for urban areas and other places where the air quality suffers.
Yeah, since the vast majority of light trucks are now sold for use as passenger vehicles, there should no longer be a distinction, adopt passenger car standards across the board
Neither is reasonable. This target should and will be revised down as well. 20% seems like the absolute ceiling of EV market share by 2030. That’s only 5.5 years from now! Many if not most of the MY2030 vehicles that will be offered are already being sold today!
An F-150 is too small for me, so others can handle this one. Just so long as Ford doesn’t mess with their big trucks too much they can introduce all the regular cab crank window 2 foot bed models they want for the small truck guys to pretend they are going to buy new.