Jim Farley's Ford Takes a Leaf Out of Elon Musk-Led Tesla's Book, Produces Over 5,000 Massive Aluminum Parts for Upcoming $28,350 Fathom Electric Truck

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) has produced more than 5,000 giant aluminum castings for its $28,350 Fathom electric pickup, adopting a manufacturing approach popularized by Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) as Ford prepares for a 2027 launch. Each truck will use two castings instead of 146 separate structural parts.

Ford Details Its Unicasting Production Process

Ford calls the technology "unicasting," rather than Tesla’s "gigacasting," which uses massive presses to form vehicle structures in fewer pieces. In a blog post on Wednesday, chief engineer Vladimir Bogachuk said Ford makes the front and rear castings at its Shelbyville Technical Center, then sends approved batches to the Louisville Assembly Plant for prototype assembly and process testing.

Ford melts aluminum at approximately 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, injects it into molds and cools the finished castings. Engineers then examine the structures through industrial X-rays, dimensional scans and laboratory tests. Ford says its design also emphasizes "modular repairability," addressing concerns that damage to large cast components can complicate repairs.

Galhotra Says Launch Validation Nears Completion

On Ford’s Wednesday earnings call, Chief Operating Officer A. Kumar Galhotra said "90% of the validation testing has been completed" and confirmed that the company had built its first production-line vehicles in Louisville. "We’ve already produced 5,000 of them," he said, describing efforts to prove Ford can manufacture the structures at production speeds.

Galhotra identified supplier readiness as the principal outstanding risk: "We need to make sure that the supply base can run at rate with high-quality parts." Ford expects the Fathom, built on its Universal EV Platform, to launch in the fourth quarter of 2027. CEO Jim Farley said a recent prototype drive "completely blew me away."

Tesla Popularized Large-Scale Vehicle Castings

Tesla pioneered the use of powerful Giga Press machines on its Model Y, consolidating roughly 70 rear-underbody components into one casting. Ford’s two-piece approach likewise simplifies its vehicle structure, although the companies use different terminology and production systems.

Reuters reported in 2024 that Tesla abandoned plans for a nearly one-piece underbody, retaining front and rear castings joined by a middle section. Ford’s parallel assembly approach similarly brings separate sections together, while its affordable electric pickup targets a significantly lower starting price than Tesla’s vehicles.

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