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Old cars and Pixar films have at least one thing in common: They’re all getting remakes these days. Think of any automaker with a cachet of iconic names to pull from, and you can bet it’s squeezing them for all the marketing juice it can get. Ford itself has done this with models like the Mustang Mach-E, which is an electric crossover instead of a true-blood pony car, and the Maverick, which used to be a car and is now a four-door trucklet. That’s why it was surprising to see the Blue Oval go a different direction with its new $29,945 truck, named the “Fathom.” I almost would have bet on that rig being called the Ranchero.
Curious as to why Ford didn’t go the throwback route, we simply asked the company’s PR department. This is what a spokesperson told us:
“Fathom is an all-new vehicle, developed from the ground up on the new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, using the new assembly tree manufacturing process and bringing new technology to Ford and the industry. All of these innovations called for a new, bold name—to give the vehicle personality, a soul, and make it a character in our customer’s life. This is the future of modern Ford.”
In other words, Ford wasn’t worried about appealing to the older generation with this one.
I made this lil’ illustration with assets from Ford because we haven’t seen the Fathom without heavy camouflage yet. Ford, edited by author Ford (edited by the author)
There are times when a retro name revival is appropriate. The new Bronco is arguably the best example, as it’s a legitimate and faithful follow-up to the 4x4s of yore. But with this new truck, the only thing it’s likely to have in common with Ford’s El Camino rival is a unibody construction. Everything else about the Fathom is different—not just from the Ranchero, but from practically everything else the Dearborn automaker has built up to now.
Ford believes this truck will pioneer manufacturing techniques it’ll apply to an array of future models. The emphasis is on faster assembly, resulting in products that are more affordable for both the customer and the company. That type of paradigm shift is deserving of its own name, Ford reckons.
So, what does the name “Fathom” even mean? Ford explained that sailors once used fathoms as units of measurement, often for depths of water in which you couldn’t see the bottom. It later took on a different definition: To understand a thing completely. “For a truck that started with years of trying to understand a specific customer,” Ford wrote, “that was the whole brief in six letters.”
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
