Faraday Future sets a ‘fresh start’ with a minivan EV prototype at CES 2025


At CES 2017, Faraday Future introduced its futuristic luxury EV, the FF 91. Seven years later, after repeated delays, bankruptcy, lawsuits and other controversies, the company sold “15 o 16” FF 91s. Now the company detailing the latest shift in strategy, with plans to sell low-cost EVs under new low-cost “FX” brand. FX CEO Max Ma came to CES, along with two prototype vehicles, to pitch a plan he described as a “new start” for the embattled company.

As you’d expect from Faraday, the exact details are a bit hazy, but it involves sourcing parts from Chinese automakers and bringing them to the US to produce “mass volume vehicles” with some premium touch that Faraday is known for. “We want to take that $300,000 car expertise from a technology and features and performance (standpoint) to a $30,000, $40,000 car to try to upgrade the overall user experience,” Ma said in a briefing to Engadget. The first FX vehicle, the flagship product of the brand’s lineup, will be a minivan (or, as Ma explained, “an AI MPV”) called the “Super One.”

Faraday showed off two prototype minivans to demonstrate the concept. We were not allowed to take photos but the cars in the photo at the top of this post are what I saw.

One is meant to showcase the kind of premium in-cabin experience that Faraday envisions for the affordable car. It has two rows of white leather captain’s chairs. The second row seats have reclining footrests, heated seats and built-in massagers. There is also a small fridge under the center console for keeping drinks cold. The car is missing door handles and other pieces. “Obviously, we have door handles,” a Faraday representative assured us.

The second minivan wasn’t quite finished. The entire interior, including the dashboard and instrument cluster, is covered in black fabric held together with binder clips. But a Faraday representative took me and other reporters for a ride on it, driving it in small, slow circles around a Las Vegas parking lot. Later, Faraday offered me a ride in the minivan and I – apparently the “first lady” to pilot the car – also drove it in slow circles around the parking lot. I’m not sure what I get out of it, though, it feels like driving a minivan.

There were two other vehicles planned for the initial FX line, the FX 5 and FX 6, which were Office has partnered through the company. Faraday is targeting a $20,000 – $30,000 price for the FX 5 and $30,000 – $50,000 for the FX 6. There aren’t many other details about either, though Faraday did share a teaser image of a prototype of the FX 6, which it describes as a “larger luxury AIEV.”

A teaser image of FX 6. A teaser image of FX 6.

Faraday Future

Faraday claims it will begin production of one of the planned vehicles later this year, with the first “pre-production” model rolling off the production line by the end of 2025, according to a timeline it shared. by Ma. That’s a tall promise considering the company’s past history of mismanagement and delays. Faraday Future CEO Matthias Aydt also acknowledged that the company has yet to finalize its partnerships with companies that will supply its parts. He also did not discuss how the tariffs will affect the plans.

Ma said she understood the skepticism. “Basically, this is a kind of new beginning. We really want to show that through our dedication to hard work, we can achieve what we promised.”



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