Ford CEO Teases 1,000-HP Off-Road Supercar as New Halo Model

Ford already builds Raptors that can leap dunes and Mustangs that storm race tracks. But according to CEO Jim Farley, the Blue Oval might be cooking up something altogether stranger: a 1,000-horsepower, partially electric off-road supercar built not for highways, but for sand, gravel, and desert chaos. It wouldn’t be a pickup or a lifted SUV — more like a hypercar with dirt under its nails.

A Supercar for Gravel, Not Just Pavement

Speaking on a Bloomberg podcast, Farley mused about building a purpose-built machine that takes Ford’s motorsport pedigree and applies it to the desert. With Dakar and Baja-style racing as inspiration, the car would be a standalone halo model rather than a dressed-up truck. “No Porsche has done this,” he noted, taking a swipe at the 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato for being little more than pavement toys with knobbly tires.

This kind of statement isn’t a throwaway. Ford is busy reshaping its entire product mix. With the Explorer getting cheaper in 2026 — but dealers already slashing prices on 2025 stock to move metal — the brand needs a headline-grabbing halo to remind buyers it can still do theatre as well as discounts.

Why Ford Wants a Halo Car Now

The timing is no accident. Ford’s lineup is in flux. With the Escape and Corsair winding down, the company is filing trademarks for new EV names like Mythic, Hive, Fuze, and Fathom — signaling a fresh push into affordability and volume (future EV names).

A desert-racing hypercar, even at $300,000 or more, would give Ford the credibility to say: “Yes, we’re building cheaper EVs — but we can still do madness when we feel like it.” It’s a trick Ferrari and Porsche have played for decades: halo products draw buyers into showrooms, even if what they actually leave with is a modest crossover.

Looking Back to Look Forward

Ford has been here before. The Ford GT, a V6 twin-turbo homage to Le Mans, ended production this year with the track-only Mk IV, capped at just 67 units.

That car showed how Ford Performance could deliver genuine supercar theater. The difference is that the GT was a heritage project. An off-road supercar would be an all-new statement — less about nostalgia, more about planting a flag in ground no one else has claimed.

What It Means If Ford Actually Builds It

If this thing leaves the sketchbook, it could redefine what a halo car looks like in the EV era. Instead of fighting Ferrari and McLaren on lap times, Ford could build the first true “supercar for dunes.” It wouldn’t sell in huge numbers — maybe a few hundred units — but it would shape how the world views Ford’s engineering and electrification push.

Even if it never makes production, the idea itself sends a message: Ford isn’t content to be “the Mustang and truck company.” It wants to shock, experiment, and occasionally throw 1,000 horsepower at the desert just to prove it can.