Ford CEO Jim Farley had quite a bit to say about the automaker's sprawling BlueOvalCity facility during today's event special event in Tennessee. However, a short video during his presentation may have revealed something about the next-generation full-size electric truck being built there.
Called Project T3, Farley revealed the truck's existence during the production launch ceremony for the F-150 Lightning. At the time, he also stated it would be built at BlueOvalCity and be "different." He further emphasized during today's presentation, saying it may not look like a truck but it will act like one.
Gallery: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning: First Drive
It will receive regular software updates to continually improve its systems, and Farley also teased advanced driver-assist systems allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road. And while the current F-Series is available in all kinds of configurations, this new truck will offer just a few.
For the Star Wars fans out there, he equated the new electric truck to being a "Millenium Falcon with a porch attached." Presumably, that's a reference to the iconic sci-fi spaceship's tech and speed, as the short video presentation with Farley's speech specifically mentions a "digital platform for endless new features" in a truck that's "impossibly quick." However, it was a brief glimpse of a blurry truck-shaped design in the video that caught our attention.
Seen only for a second in what looks like a design studio, it's in the background behind a close-up portion of a full-size clay model. We see a thick rear pillar separating a short bed from the cab, and the cab appears to slope downward rather dramatically at the front. We can just about make out Ford's familiar notch at the front window, which appears to slope downward as well. There's certainly nothing like it in Ford's current lineup, and it fits with what we'd expect to see regarding a different, efficient design.
Of course, this could simply be one of many design studies for the next-gen electric truck. Designed from the ground up to be an EV, it will exist alongside the F-Series and is slated for a debut in 2025, coinciding with the scheduled start date for BlueOvalCity.
