Ford says overhaul of Louisville Assembly Plant will allow new electric truck to be built 40% faster

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Ford is on track to start building its new electric truck early next year, the first to be built after an overhaul of the Louisville Assembly Plant.

The Fathom will be the first all-electric vehicle ever produced at LAP after the factory was converted from producing the Escape SUV to manufacturing the next generation of electric vehicles. The $2 billion investment in the south Louisville plant is expected to support about 2,200 jobs.

The new Universal EV Production System is a streamlined, software-driven approach to vehicle assembly designed to boost efficiency, safety and quality, Ford CEO Jim Farley said at the time of the investment's announcement.

Declining sales of the Escape SUV in recent years led to concerns about LAP's future. But in 2023, Ford committed to building an "all new" electric vehicle at the Louisville plant once the gas-powered Escape reached the end of its life cycle in 2025.

LAP went silent in late 2025 for the overhaul. During that time, Ford said crews unbolted and hauled out heavy machinery and thousands of tons of steel, leaving only an empty shell by February of this year. The gutting of the factory made way for the installation of the new EV production system.

The overhaul gives LAP the fastest network in Ford, "with the most access points out of any Ford plant globally — meaning more on-the-spot quality checks along the assembly tree to deliver efficiency."

"It means that this critical industry for us is more secure today, that we are on the cutting edge and that Kentucky will be a leader in auto for decades to come," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.

Rather than being built one piece at a time, the Fathom will be put together in three distinct sections as it rolls down the assembly line. That means more people can work on the truck at the same time. The plant's overhaul was also designed to reduce physical strain for workers.

"We listened to all the things operators don't like," Bryce Currie, Ford chief manufacturing officer, said in a news release. "Their work at Louisville Assembly Plant will be significantly more ergonomic. It's designed to require less twisting, turning, and bending."

Ford said the UEV Production System and its assembly tree will allow crews to assemble the Fathom 40% faster than LAP's current products. The automaker said it reinvested some of that time into "insourcing and automation to improve quality and cost, giving LAP the highest level of automation in final assembly across all Ford plants globally." That means the assembly of the Fathom will net out at 15% faster than LAP today, the company said.

The Fathom is expected to sell for just under $30,000. Ford hasn't released photos of the new truck, so it's unclear right now what it will look like.

Ford said the mid-size pickup truck will seat five adults and have more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4. It will come with features including a large touchscreen, digital key technology, a front trunk and bed storage. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and BlueCruise hands-free highway driving will also be included.

The truck is expected to reach customers before the end of 2027.