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At CES 2017, Faraday Future introduced a futuristic luxury EV, the FF 91. Seven years later, following repeated delays, bankruptcy, lawsuits and other disputes, the company has sold “15 or 16” FF 91s. Now the company and details its new strategy change, and the plan to sell cheaper EVs below its new price “FX” version. FX CEO Max Ma came to CES, along with two similar cars, to outline what he described as a “new beginning” for the troubled company.
As you’d expect with Faraday, the details are vague, but it involves sourcing parts from Chinese car manufacturers and bringing them to the US to build “supercars” that have some of the features Faraday is known for. “We want to take the expertise of a $300,000 car from the technology and appearance and performance (ideas) to a $30,000, $40,000 car to try to improve everything that has been used,” Ma said in a press conference with Engadget. The first FX car, which is at the top of the range, will be a minivan (or, as Ma said, “AI MPV”) called “Super One.”
Faraday displayed two minivans to demonstrate the concept. We weren’t allowed to take pictures but the cars in the picture above are the ones I saw.
One was designed to demonstrate the type of cabin experience Faraday envisions for a low-cost car. It had two rows of white leather seats. The second-row seats had recliners, heated seats and seat covers. There was also a small fridge under the drinks counter. The car was missing door handles and several other pieces. “Obviously, we’ll have door handles,” Faraday’s representative assured us.
The second minivan was not complete. The entire interior, including the dashboard and the instrument panel, was covered in black fabric combined with fasteners. But Faraday’s representative took me and other reporters for a ride, driving slowly around the Las Vegas parking lot. Later, Faraday let me take the minivan for a drive and I – apparently the “first woman” driver – drove it slowly around the parking lot. I don’t know what I was supposed to get out of, but it was like driving a minivan.
There are two other cars planned for the production FX, the FX 5 and FX 6, which were already available. he announced and company. Faraday is asking $20,000 – $30,000 for the price of the FX 5 and $30,000 – $50,000 for the FX 6. There aren’t many details on this, though Faraday did share a teaser photo of the FX 6 prototype, which it described as a “high-end AIEV.”
Faraday says it will begin production of one of its planned cars later this year, with the first “pre-production” model set to be rolled out by the end of 2025, according to the timeline. That’s a lofty promise considering the company’s long history of mismanagement and delays. Faraday Future CEO Matthias Aydt also admitted that the company has not finalized its deal with the companies that will supply its shares. He did not elaborate on how the tariffs would affect the plans.
Ma said he understood the doubt. “In fact, this is a new beginning. We really want to show that through our commitment to hard work, we can achieve what we promised.”
