At CES 2017, Faraday Future unveiled its futuristic luxury electric car, the FF 91. Seven years later, after repeated delays, bankruptcies, lawsuits and other disputes, the company has sold “15 or 16” FF 91s. details his latest change in strategy: a plan to sell cheap electric cars under a new low-cost carrier Trademark “FX”.. FX CEO Max Ma came to CES with two prototype cars to unveil a plan he called a “new start” for the embattled company.
As you'd expect with Faraday, the exact details are a bit hazy, but it involves sourcing parts from Chinese automakers and shipping them to the US to produce “mass-market mass-market cars” with some of the premium touches that Faraday is famous for. “We want to apply that expertise in the technology, features and performance of a $300,000 car (in terms of) into a $30,000 or $40,000 car to try to improve the overall user experience,” Ma said during a briefing to Engadget. The first FX vehicle, the flagship product of the brand's lineup, will be a minivan (or, as Ma called it, an “AI MPV”) called the “Super One.”
Faraday showed off two minivan prototypes to demonstrate the concept. We weren't allowed to take photos, but the cars in the photo at the top of the post are the ones I saw.
One of them was intended to demonstrate the level of premium cabin comfort that Faraday envisions for an inexpensive car. It had two rows of white leather captain's seats. The second-row seats had reclining footrests, heated seats, and built-in massagers. There was also a small refrigerator under the center console to keep drinks cold. The car was missing door handles and several other parts. “Obviously we will have door handles,” a Faraday representative assured us.
The second minivan was even less modified. The entire interior, including the dashboard and instrument cluster, was covered in black fabric held together with clips. But Faraday's representative took me and other reporters in it to drive small, slow circles around a Las Vegas parking lot. Later, Faraday offered me a ride in the minivan, and I, apparently the “first lady” piloting the car, also slowly circled the parking lot in it. I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of it, but it was like driving a minivan.
Two more vehicles are planned for the original FX line-up: the FX 5 and FX 6, which were previously announced company. Faraday is targeting a price tag of $20,000–$30,000 for the FX 5 and $30,000–$50,000 for the FX 6. There aren't many other details about either yet, although Faraday shared a teaser image of the FX 6 prototype he described as a “very large luxury AIEV”.
Faraday says it will begin production of one of its planned vehicles later this year, with the first “pre-production” model rolling off the production line by the end of 2025, according to a schedule provided by Ma. That's a lofty promise given the company's past history of mismanagement and delays. Faraday Future CEO Matthias Aidt also admitted that the company has not yet finalized partnerships with companies that will supply its parts. He also did not specify how tariffs might affect those plans.
Ma said he understands the skepticism. “Essentially, it’s kind of a fresh start. We really want to demonstrate that with hard work we can achieve what we promised.”