A New Ford Pickup Just Hinted by Confusing Trademark Application
Ford is on one with electric vehicles. The Blue Oval has promised a whole heap of new electro cars and trucks, and we might have gotten our first clue on which one is coming up next. Along with promises of fancy new EVs, Ford has also been securing patents like a squirrel stores nuts for the winter. Internet sleuths caught that Ford applied to trademark “F-200” on the 7th Mustang forum. Soon after, InsideEVs corroborated the trademark application. Could this be the mysterious T3 model previously teased by Ford?
“Millennium Falcon with a porch attached”
Ford CEO Jim Farley has tantalized car dorks with a vague trail of breadcrumbs seemingly leading to a next-gen Ford electric pickup truck. In multiple interviews, Farley has called this mysterious unnamed vehicle a “Millennium Falcon with a porch attached.” While cool, it’s pretty hard to discern what this quote even means – but people like the sound of it. I mean, the Millennium Falcon is a strange comparison for a few reasons. Although Han and Chewy could do the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, the Falcon isn’t exactly the most advanced or glamorous ship in the galaxy. It’s more akin to a raggedy, yet fast, hot rod. Any who…
What is Project T3?
Ford executives have confirmed that multiple trucks are a part of the mysterious project. Project T3 stands for “Trust the Truck.” This is the guiding mantra for the engineers and designers working on the next generation of Ford’s electric pickup trucks.
Ford already has the F-150 Lightning, and many believe that there might be a smaller, Ranger-sized electric pickup truck as a part of the T3 project. However, given the long history of Ford nomenclature, a truck bearing an F-200 nameplate should be a bit larger and stronger than the F-150 Lightning.
The application form states that it covers “motor vehicles, namely gasoline and electric automobiles, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and their structural parts.” The inclusion of “gasoline” in the filing is interesting. This makes it technically possible (though unlikely) that we could be talking about a new gas pickup.
How can Ford make a new truck?
Ford has struggled mightily to keep up with the demand for the F-150 Lightning. With this in mind, it is hard to imagine that the Oval would be in a hurry to get another new truck out there. Then again, I won’t pretend to understand macro business tactics and large-scale industrial production.
AutoBlog notes that Ford reported a $1.1 billion loss last year in its EV sector. That isn’t promising, but we can assume Ford was expecting to give the EVs a little time to return a profit.
No matter what Ford plans to do with the F-200 trademark, the car market is changing so quickly that not only are manufacturers struggling to keep up, but consumers and stagnant wages are also struggling to keep up.
