Ford is gearing up to launch a new family of affordable electric cars with the help of a new platform and assembly processes.

Its Universal EV Platform will enable a range of affordable vehicles to be produced at scale for customers – all will be electric, “fun to drive” and digitally advanced with over-the-air updates that will keep improving the vehicle.

First to arrive will be a midsize four-door electric pickup due in 2027 with a targeted starting price of about $30,000 (c.£22,120) for North American drivers. As fast as a Mustang EcoBoost, it’ll have more passenger space than the latest Toyota RAV4 and feature a frunk and a bed, the brand said.

Other models will follow and are expected to be offered globally.

Ford president and CEO Jim Farley said: “We designed this platform to be the foundation for a new generation of electric vehicles. It is flexible enough to underpin trucks, cars and everything inbetween.

“Vehicles assembled on this platform will be affordable for the average family — but also highly efficient, customisable and fun to drive. And they won’t be stripped down to the bare essentials.”

Backing up the company’s pledge, Ford figures indicate that the platform reduces parts by 20% versus a typical vehicle, with 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock in the plant and 15% faster assembly time. It’s said to deliver a lower cost of ownership over five years than a three-year-old used Tesla Model Y.

The new platform will be teamed up with a radical new approach to vehicle production, dubbed the Ford Universal EV Production System and “radically simplifying vehicle assembly for safety, quality and speed”.

And the brand says it will use prismatic lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells assembled in America, not imported from China, in an industry-first. These batteries also enable space and weight savings, while delivering cost reduction and durability for customers.

Bryce Currie, Ford vice president, Americas manufacturing, said: “This is a Model T moment. And it’s bigger than Ford – it’s a big win for America’s future and for our customers everywhere.

“I’m excited for the world to see the extraordinary vehicles this Universal EV Platform and new manufacturing system will make possible. Ford’s next century of leadership in innovation starts right now.”