Americans have always loved big cars, although their popularity is cyclical, interrupted by fuel shortages, reliable Japanese imports, or financial crises killing brands like Hummer. At one point, there was a race between the Detroit automakers to see which could deliver the biggest SUV, and that led to the creation of the Ford Excursion. But what if the Excursion had been powered with a couple of electric motors instead of a gas-guzzling V10?
It’s actually a pretty natural thing to wonder. Pickup body-on-frame platforms still deliver some of the coolest and most popular SUVs, things like the Cadillac Escalade, Toyota 4Runner, and Lincoln’s Navigator. But as trucks are going electric, full-sized SUVs are also changing.
GM seems to be leading the charge (pun intended). However, the Ford F-150 Lightning presents a unique opportunity to connect the old world with the new. You see, GM has the Ultium Platform underpinning things like the Hummer EV, but that means the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV looks nothing like its V8 counterparts.
Meanwhile, the F-150 Lightning feels familiar. It’s also built in an interesting way. A thick, heavily reinforced battery is housed within the pickup frame with an F-150 body placed on top. So it has a little something in common with the Expedition, making you wonder how that SUV would have been received with a V10-sized front trunk opening and dual electric motors.
This next set of renderings, created by the website Kolesa, aims to help you visualize a 2024 Ford Excursion Lightning. While the SUV is entirely fictional, by using the design elements of a real F-150 EV, it becomes realistic, making you wonder if such a vehicle would be more popular now than its counterpart from over 20 years ago.
Why the Ford Excursion isn’t too big any longer
People love to read about cars that failed because it gives them something to criticize. However, the Ford Excursion’s collapse as a product has to do with availability and pricing, not just its size. In fact, by today’s standards, it’s not that big.
Even though the Excursion claimed to be the largest SUV on the market back in 2000, its front track was actually 3 inches narrower than an H2 Hummer and its overall length was only about 7 inches more than a Chevy Suburban.
As you’re probably aware, the gas-guzzling Hummer is back, even though the American government expressly asked GM to kill off the brand after the subprime crisis/meltdown. In fact, demand for the Hummer EV was so high that dealers were bumping the price to over $200,000. So isn’t Ford losing money by not offering something similar? We feel like a large SUV like this would “officially” cost somewhere around $100,000 and would have a high profit margin.
Also, the market as a whole has changed a lot. Hyundai, of all companies, sells pickups, as well as the very successful 16.3-foot Palisade crossover. BMW is now better known for luxurious SUVs like the X7, while Ford itself does sell a single sedan in America.
