Ford CEO Jim Farley has confirmed there is a cut-price ute on the way as the Blue Oval aims to attract new customers and compete with Chinese rivals – and in potentially good news for Aussies, it’s headed for international markets. 

Farley was speaking to investors during Ford’s third-quarter earnings call when he revealed the plans for the new model, which would slot in below the Ranger in the brand’s line-up should it make it down under. 

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“Alongside strengthening our best franchises, we’re opening new paths to grow at more affordable price points next year. We’ll be launching our pickup for international markets,” Farley said.

“We expect the base material cost for this truck to be 20 per cent lower than today’s Ranger, just as the Maverick has done in the US. This truck is designed to bring new customers into the Ford truck line-up internationally at a cost structure that allows us to compete, in this case with China.”

Farley wasn’t referring to the upcoming all-electric Fathom ute, which has a starting price of around $40,000 and will be built in left-hand drive in the States. His use of “international markets” also makes it pretty clear that the new model he has in mind won’t be sold in the USA. 

That opens the door to the cut-price ute – which definitely won’t be the next generation of the Ranger, going by Farley’s words – possibly being built in China, where Ford has partnerships with JMC and Changan. 

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Ford’s collaboration with JMC has already produced the Bronco Basecamp, which is due to go on sale in Australia, which is a range-extender hybrid featuring a 49kWh battery feeding dual electric motors for all-wheel drive, paired with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine.  

As for the Maverick he touched on, the unibody dual-cab sells from around $40,400 in the USA, with the base model running a 2.5-litre hybrid engine and power-split electronic continuously variable transmission.