(Christoph Schmidt/Getty Images)

Ford’s EV “Model T” moment starts with a $30,000 midsize truck

8/11/25 10:25AM

Ford on Monday touted a new vision for producing low-cost electric vehicles in the US, drawing parallels between the announcement and its iconic Model T.

According to CEO Jim Farley, Ford will build multiple low-cost EVs at its Louisville assembly plant through a new production process. The first vehicle produced through the new platform is planned for 2027 and will be a midsize EV truck starting at $30,000.

Created as a result of a three-year “skunkworks” project helmed by ex-Tesla engineer Alan Clarke, the new production system leaves the single assembly line behind, instead shifting to three concurrent assembly lines that will join together at the end of the production process.

Automation will be central to the new system, which will require 2,200 workers (600 fewer than currently work at the Louisville plant). Ford has said it doesn’t expect layoffs as a result of the new model.

The plans will see Ford invest more than $2 billion into Kentucky.

The announcement comes as Ford has struggled to maintain momentum in its EV business. A new low-cost rival, the Amazon-backed Slate Auto, has garnered significant attention from price-weary customers. Ford’s electric division has already lost more than $2 billion this year through June.

“I don’t think that the new EV startups will be able to keep up with the kind of innovation that you’re seeing in manufacturing, and how they can actually turn this into a reality,” Ford EV chief Doug Field said, seemingly casting some shade at Slate and other EV rivals. “New ideas are easy. Innovation is actually delivering ideas, and delivering those ideas in a way that millions can access them.”

Nia Warfield

Fox and News Corp slide as investors digest $3.3 billion Murdoch succession settlement

Fox and News Corp shares dropped on Tuesday after Rupert Murdoch’s heirs agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement to resolve a long-running succession drama.

Under the deal, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James Murdoch will each receive about $1.1 billion, paid for in part by Fox selling 16.9 million Class B voting shares and News Corp selling 14.2 million shares. The stock sales will raise roughly $1.37 billion on behalf of the three heirs.

The new trust for Lachlan Murdoch will now control about 36.2% of Fox’s Class B shares and roughly 33.1% of News Corp’s stock, granting him uncontested voting authority over both companies for the next 25 years. Originally, the Murdoch trust was designed to hand over voting control of Fox and News Corp to Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James after his death.

Investors are weighing the trade-off. Clear leadership under Lachlan may resolve conflict internally, but the share dilution, executed at a roughly 4.5% discount, means long-term investors now hold slightly less clout than before.

Both companies’ stocks were trading close to all-time highs prior to the announcement.

385 ✈️ 434

Max Knoblauch

Boeing on Tuesday announced that it delivered 57 commercial jets in August, its best total for the month in seven years. That brings its year-to-date delivery total to 385 planes, eclipsing its full-year 2024 figure by about 11%.

The August figure marked Boeing’s second-highest delivery total of 2025 and represented a 43% jump from the same month last year. Through August, Boeing has boosted its deliveries by 50% from last year.

The plane maker is still trailing its European rival Airbus, which delivered 61 planes in August and 434 year to date.

Nia Warfield

9/8/25

Tariffs finally crept into retail's latest earnings results. Who were the winners and losers?

The long-awaited levies took a toll on nearly every retailer, but execution separated who could steer through the costs.