It’s long been rumored, reported and predicted, and now it’s finally confirmed: Ford Motor Co. on Thursday announced the addition of the Maverick, a brand-new compact pickup truck, to its lineup.
Maverick will be available beginning model year 2022. No further details were released Thursday, but the truck will officially debut June 8. The Dearborn automaker is teaming up with actor Gabrielle Union for the reveal; Union will highlight the truck on her Instagram and TikTok channels, on Ford’s social media channels and on streaming service Hulu.
Ford said this marks the first time it will debut a vehicle on its new U.S. TikTok channel. Details about the vehicle also will be available on Ford’s website beginning Tuesday.
Thursday’s announcement amounts to confirmation of something industry observers have long predicted: that Ford would introduce an affordably-priced compact pickup. Ford acknowledged the buzz in a news release Thursday, saying, “Months of rumors, spy shots and speculation have all led to this moment. It’s true — Ford is adding an all-new compact pickup to the lineup, and it’s called Maverick.”
The new offering appeared to play well with investors, who have been bidding Blue Oval shares higher in recent months. Ford’s stock closed up 7.2%, to $15.99 per share — the highest closing price in more than six years.
Numerous media outlets, including The Detroit News, cited production data from Ford to report earlier this year that a new pickup truck had quietly begun rolling off assembly lines at Ford’s Hermosillo plant in Mexico, where the Bronco Sport is built.
And upon taking over as CEO in October, Jim Farley identified affordable vehicles as a key growth strategy for the company. Adding more affordable vehicles to Ford’s lineup, both in North America and globally, is part of his plan to turn around and grow the Blue Oval.
The introduction of the Maverick comes amid one of the most significant portfolio refreshes in Ford’s history. The automaker launched its first fully battery-electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E, late last year. It recently debuted a redesigned version of the F-150, and revealed a battery-electric version of the best-selling pickup truck. It also launched the new Bronco Sport and is preparing to launch the highly-anticipated full-size Bronco this summer.
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @JGrzelewski