Ford Fathom Pricing Will Stretch Into the 'High $30,000 Range'

The Ford Fathom starts at under $29,000. Here's how much a nicely equipped one will cost you.

Photo by: Ford

By: Rob Stumpf

Oct 29, at 3:10pm ET

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You'll be able to spec out Ford's sub-$29,000 pickup to the "high $30,000 range."
Ford hasn't revealed what options will be included, but says that it realizes that customers buying "nicer" trims care about the digital experience.
This could mean recurring revenue through software subscriptions.

Ford's upcoming Fathom electric pickup is shaping up to be one of the cheapest EVs on the market. But its $28,350 starting price won't be the only bargain. Ford says even higher-end versions of the truck will come in below $40,000.

"The starting price of the $28,350 is just that," said Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue and Model e, on Ford's third quarter earnings call on Thursday. "We'll have a range that goes to the high $30,000 range. And we'll have a couple of different offerings within that."

Ford Fathom Prototypes in Las Vegas

Photo by: Ford

It's not clear whether high-$30,000s will be the starting price for higher-level trims, or whether a truly fully-loaded truck will come in below $40,000. Frick said that Ford will share more details about how the Fathom's offerings break down as it gets closer to launch. Pre-orders start early next year with first delivers slated for late 2027.

Ford discussed another trick it has up its sleeve to make money off of the relatively affordable Fathom: subscriptions. CEO Jim Farley said Ford realized that customers spending more on "nicer" trims of the Fathom really care about the digital experience that they are getting when buying an EV:

"We can offer at an incredibly low cost, very advanced ADAS, as well as digital camera, [and] dashboard," said Farley. He later continued: "[T]he digital suite, including the embedded Apple Maps, is really a game changer for any EV, let alone at this price. I think for me, personally, that is going to be the most exciting upsell opportunity. It's really the long-term subscription and digital experience for the customer."

Ford has been clear that it wants to move to more software-defined vehicles that it can monetize through digital features. In fact, its Q3 sales figures reveal that Ford has a whopping 1.7 million customers paying for subscriptions. That could be through Ford Pro, BlueCruise, or other digital services that Ford offers today—and it's a 40% increase compared to this time last year.

Farley mentioned in the opening remarks for the call that Ford found that retail customer retention can be up to 9 percentage points higher when combined with a software subscription. So if Ford can play the long-game by monetizing its low-cost vehicle, it could be a way for the automaker to earn more annual recurring revenue off of the Fathom.

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For shoppers, the good news is that even a nicely equipped Fathom shouldn't break the bank. But Farley's comments also raise an interesting question: How much of the truck's most appealing technology will be included in the purchase price, and how much will cost extra every month?

That's something we'll be watching closely as Ford gets closer to revealing the finished truck.