The Ford Fathom has been hanging out in Sin City.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has revealed on social media that prototypes of the upcoming compact electric pickup being tested in the Nevada desert took a side trip to strut their stuff on the Las Vegas Strip.
The pair of pickups featured patterned wraps that disguised their finer details, along with sections of cladding that hide their true shape and features.
The cladding makes the front end look boxy, but previously released images suggest that the production version has a low, curving nose that is similar in shape to the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s.
It was depicted in an aerodynamic rendering and can also be discerned in a shot from a video that shows the truck under a sheet. The low headlights peeking through the prototype’s camouflage match up perfectly with the shapes seen in the sheet.
The front cladding also has a central hole in it for what appears to be a sensor array. Ford hasn’t released many details about the Fathom yet, but has confirmed that it will be equipped with the hardware needed for its Blue Cruise hands-free driving system.
The wrap also seems to be applied farther up the windows than the bodyside actually goes, which makes the beltline look higher than it is. One side even has them misaligned. However, the most interesting stuff may be happening at the rear.
The cladding extends off the trailing edge of the roof and cabin, likely to conceal the way it tapers to reduce aerodynamic drag. The Fathom’s designers have said that it was shaped to direct the air over the bed. Even more intriguing is the vinyl covering the entire back wall of the cabin, which should be a basic design, but could be one of the Fathom’s coolest features.
Ford has filed a patent on a configurable midgate that opens to extend the bed into the cabin, similar to what GM offers on its full-size electric trucks. The Fathom appears to have a 4.5-foot bed like the similarly sized Maverick, so any length added to that would increase its utility. The cabin’s interior is larger than a Toyota Rav4’s, so there could be several feet available with the rear seats folded down.
Ford isn’t planning to fully unveil the Fathom until sometime in 2027, so it will be a while before all of its secrets are known, but one of the most important is already out. Ford has confirmed that the starting price for the Kentucky-built model will be $29,945, including destination fees, when deliveries begin late next year.
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