After La Mustang, Ford teases the return of another beloved car as an EV

Ford promises a revolution. The company plans to make a big announcement on August 11 on its future for electric vehicles, an event that it is a “moment of the T model”.

In a blog article, Ford invoked the spirit of its most emblematic creation, the car which “puts the world on wheels” by making transport “accessible to masses”. The message is clear: Ford thinks that it is about to launch a breakthrough vehicle which is both capable and, above all, affordable. But what is it?

A new index, discovered by the Ford Authority site, suggests that the Ford’s futuristic revolution will be fueled by a ghost of its past. A few days before its big announcement, Ford filed a new brand for the name “Ranchero”, specifically for use on “Electric Vehicles”, namely “Take vans”.

For Ford, this is a familiar game book. The company has mastered the art of unraveling its own archives, using beloved and gourmet names in its history to sell a radically new electric future. They did it with the Mustang Mach-E, incorporating a storm of outbreak of purists to transform it into a best-selling electric SUV. They did it again with the F-150 Lightning, endearing their most reliable truck name to their flagship pick-up. And with the Maverick, they relaunched another classic name to win a new generation of buyers.

The Ranchero brand deposit indicates that Ford is about to start again. But this time, the issues are even higher. The company promises “revolutionary electric vehicles” made in America. According to reports, Ford is developing a low-cost electric platform intended to underline a range of future models, starting with an intermediate-size pick-up. This strategy could give Ford a weapon in the struggle for the affordability of the EV, a very challenge has not completely resolved.

The Ranchero signage plaque has not been seen on American roads since 1979, but its history looks like nothing else in the Ford range. Launched in 1957, the original Ranchero scrambled the lines between the car and the truck, offering the comfort and style of a sedan with the practice of a collection bed. He quickly found an audience among farmers, business people and California surfers.

He competed head-to-head with El Camino de Chevrolet, which is part of a wave of so-called “van hybrids” which retraced their lines of the Australian “uts” of the 1930s, versatile vehicles which could transport hay balls in the morning and faithful in the afternoon.

A “Time of model T” for the EV age

Ford clearly leans in symbolism. In the blog post, the company’s heritage team invoked the birth of the T model, the 1908 car which put the world on wheels by making personal transport accessible to the masses. Born in the secret on the third floor of the Ford piquette factory, the T model was designed to be universal: affordable, repairable and adaptable for everything, climbing the pike of Pike to the snowmobile towel. Ford says he wants to recreate this breakthrough, this time with electric vehicles.

“Now Ford returns to its roots for another moment of the T model,” wrote the company. “Ford leaders will share more on our design and assembly plans of revolutionary electric vehicles in America.”

If the Ranchero is part of this vision, it could bring back the practicality and personality of the car hybrid for a new generation. This time fed by electrons, not in petrol. And if the story is a guide, the electric version of the Ranchero could fill the gap between work and play on a market where most microphones are still targeting size and luxury, not versatility and price.