Ford said on August 13 that its US$2 billion overhaul of the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky is on track to begin producing the Fathom in 2027.

The all-electric midsize truck will start below US$30,000 and will be the first EV on its new universal platform.

Ford expects to begin prototype builds in the first quarter of 2027, followed by customer vehicles later that year.

The automaker is testing production-level tooling as it replaces its traditional moving assembly line with a three-branch process.

In that system, the vehicle’s front and rear sections are assembled separately using large single-piece aluminum unicastings, then joined with a structural battery assembled with seats, consoles, and carpeting.

Ford said this should let it assemble the Fathom 15% faster than vehicles previously built at Louisville.

The redesign comes as Ford tries to improve EV margins.

Its Model e unit lost US$777 million in Q1 2026, and the company expects the business to post an earnings before interest and taxes loss of US$4 billion to US$4.5 billion in 2026.

Large-casting methods are spreading across the auto industry, though Ford said its three-branch “assembly tree” changes final assembly more broadly than casting-only programs at many rivals.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

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