Ford’s affordable mid-size ute due 2027 with Australia unconfirmed

Key takeaways

• Ford will launch an affordable mid-size pickup for international markets in 2027
• Ford expects base material cost to be 20% below today’s Ranger
• Name, price and Australian availability are all yet to be confirmed

Ford will launch a new affordable mid-size pickup for international markets in 2027, CEO Jim Farley told investors during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on 28 October. Ford expects the truck’s base material cost to be 20% lower than the current Ranger. Ford has not named the ute, and Australian plans are unconfirmed.

What Ford has said about the new mid-size ute

Farley described the truck as an entry point to bring new customers into Ford’s international truck range, in the way the Maverick has in the US. He said it is designed to be built at a cost that lets Ford compete with Chinese brands.

Bloomberg reports Farley said competition is most intense in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where Ford has a large Ranger business. He also said the Ranger leads in many markets, including Australia.

Farley spoke about material cost, not retail price, so how much cheaper the new ute will be to buy than the Ranger is unknown. Ford has not said where it will be built, what size it will be or what powertrain it will use.

The ute is separate from the Fathom, the electric pickup Ford is preparing for the US in the fourth quarter of 2027. Bloomberg describes it as one of two lower-priced pickups Ford plans for 2027.

Is the cheaper Ford ute coming to Australia?

Ford has not confirmed any Australian plans. Locally, Ford sells the Thai-built Ranger and Ranger Super Duty, plus the US-built, locally converted F-150. Ford has not offered a ute smaller than the Ranger since the Falcon ute ended in 2016.

Ford Falcon Ute

Chinese utes are already competing on price here, including the BYD Shark 6. Farley’s comments point squarely at that kind of rival, but he has not tied the new truck to Australia.

Ford is yet to reveal the ute’s name, design, powertrain and launch markets, and Australian availability remains unconfirmed until it does.