A 2024 Ford Maverick hybrid pickup truck in New York. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg)
February 11, 2026 4:08 PM, EST
Ford Motor Co. is planning to launch five new models priced under $40,000 by the end of the decade in a gambit to offer more affordable vehicles as the average cost of new cars tops $50,000 in the U.S.
The rollout of lower-priced models will start with an electric, four-door pickup truck the automaker has coming in 2027 and continue with both gas-fueled and battery-powered vehicles, Sherry House, Ford’s chief financial officer, said Feb. 11 at a Wolfe Research conference. Ford currently offers two models under $40,000, the Maverick pickup truck and Bronco Sport SUV.
Ford’s move comes as the auto industry faces an affordability crisis that is pushing mainstream buyers out of the new car market or causing them to extend car loans to seven years or more.
The average selling price of a new car in America hit a record $50,326 in December, according to researcher Cox Automotive. Ford, which sells an expensive mix of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, had an average selling price of $55,596 in December, according to automotive researcher Edmunds.com.
House said Ford will offer additional electric models under $40,000 built off the same mechanical platform as the pickup coming next year. The automaker also will field an affordable gasoline-powered pickup truck in the same price range that will be built at a new Ford assembly plant in Stanton, Tenn., starting in 2029, she said.
“We also plan to expand our market coverage with more affordable trucks and SUVs,” Jim Farley, Ford’s CEO, told analysts on Ford’s fourth-quarter earnings call Feb. 10. “And we’ll do it with a broad mix of powertrains, gas, different kinds of hybrids, and fully electric. Customers want choice.”
