Ford's EV Gambit: Recalls, Restructuring, and a Race to Reinvent the Model T cover art

Ford's EV Gambit: Recalls, Restructuring, and a Race to Reinvent the Model T

Ford's EV Gambit: Recalls, Restructuring, and a Race to Reinvent the Model T

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Ford has been under an intense spotlight in the past few days, juggling major product news, high-stakes recalls, financial turbulence, and bold strategic moves that could reshape the automaker for years to come. Just yesterday, Ford made waves by unveiling its new Long Beach electric vehicle development center, a state-of-the-art campus where a 350-person skunkworks team—many poached from Tesla, Rivian, and even Apple—is racing to design a low-cost EV pickup scheduled for debut in 2027. EV chief Doug Field and engineering star Alan Clarke both talked up the site’s symbolic return to Ford’s innovative West Coast roots, vowing that “a new era for electric vehicles” starts now. The Long Beach center’s opening coincided with a somber announcement: the Irvine design studio is shutting down, with some 263 workers offered relocation to Long Beach or Dearborn.

Ford has teased this secretive low-cost EV team for months, with CEO Jim Farley promising a “Model T moment” at an upcoming Kentucky event on August 11. Multiple outlets including TechCrunch and Autoweek have noted that Farley isn’t just hyping a new vehicle, but a whole new way of making, selling, and pricing EVs, targeting both retail buyers and Ford Pro commercial clients. The new platform and manufacturing process aim to fend off fierce Chinese rivals like BYD and Geely, with the first midsize pickup—reportedly called the Ford T3—expected by 2027. Ford’s lithium iron phosphate battery plant in Michigan is running full steam ahead as part of the cost-cutting push, and insiders hint that we might see a Lincoln Corsair EV and new Transit e-van follow the T3.

Financially, the mood is volatile. Ford’s second quarter earnings were a mixed bag: total revenue jumped 5 percent to $50.2 billion, but the Model e electric division lost a staggering $1.3 billion. Ford Pro’s commercial business, on the other hand, remains a cash cow, delivering $2.3 billion in profit. The company reinstated full-year guidance and kept its dividend steady, but Wall Street reacted coolly, sending Ford’s stock down six percent to $10.82, according to Ford Authority.

Tariffs are also tugging at Ford’s bottom line. Automotive Dive and Bloomberg both reported on Farley’s warnings that recent U.S. tariff reductions on Japanese vehicles will allow the Toyota RAV4 to undercut the Kentucky-built Escape by $5000, with the Bronco similarly squeezed by the 4Runner. Ford’s finance chief revealed the company is bracing for up to $3 billion in annual additional tariff costs due to persistent levies on vehicles imported from Mexico and Canada.

Structurally, Ford is still haunted by an industry-leading rash of recalls—already 89 this year, smashing decade-old records. The latest, just days ago, covers 312,000 vehicles, including the hot-selling Bronco and the flagship F-150, due to a potentially dangerous brake assist defect. A prior July recall swept up nearly 700,000 more SUVs over fire risks. Ford insists its fixes are now 50 percent better for newer models, but Chief Operating Officer Kuman Galhorta admits the recall crisis is a drag Ford desperately wants to end.

On social media, Bronco fans are gleeful, celebrating the SUV outselling the Jeep Wrangler for seven straight months, but critics—especially on X and Reddit’s r/cars—are roasting Ford over its reliability headaches and bruised stock chart. August eyes are locked on Ford’s big Kentucky reveal, with industry insiders betting Farley and his team will need more than buzzwords to win back investor and consumer confidence. If Ford really wants a new Model T moment, this is the stage—and pressure—where it has to deliver.

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