Ford has a new $25,000 crossover SUV coming, but will it go electric?
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- Ford previewed a new boxy, wide crossover SUV starting at ~$25,000 to dealers in Las Vegas, positioning it below the Maverick as the brand's lowest-priced vehicle and drawing comparisons to the first-generation Escape.
- The crossover will not use Ford's Universal EV platform, instead being offered only as a hybrid and gas-powered vehicle despite Ford's heavy investment in that EV architecture.
- Production is slated for 2029 at Ford's Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico, per an Automotive News report from the dealer event.
- The SUV will likely replace the Ford Escape, according to Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions.
- Ford executives assured dealers the company is committed to hybrid powertrains going forward, framing the decision as a powertrain strategy rather than a retreat from electrification.
- Ford's all-electric Fathom pickup — the first Universal EV platform vehicle — opens pre-orders in early 2027 starting at $28,350, with deliveries later that year.
- In H1 2026, four of the top five best-selling US EVs were affordable SUVs (Chevy Equinox EV, Toyota bZ, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Tesla Model Y), while the Ford Mustang Mach-E ranked seventh with sales dropping 46% to 11,632 units.
Why it matters: Ford's cheapest vehicle will be gas/hybrid from a Mexican ICE plant while its EV crossover sales crater 46% — precisely as affordable electric SUVs (Chevy Equinox EV, Toyota bZ, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Tesla Model Y) dominate the US EV market. The Universal EV platform's future hinges on the $28,350 Fathom pickup succeeding in 2027 before any affordable electric crossover gets built, a sequencing risk that leaves competitors owning the segment through 2029.
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