Troubled EV maker Faraday Future is back (again) at CES

Do you remember Faraday Future? You’d be forgiven for thinking the electric car maker had disappeared long ago, another EV startup failure to sit alongside the likes of Byton.

But no, the company once thought to have been Apple’s car project in disguise is back. Faraday Future is using the CES technology show in Las Vegas this week to announce plans for a brand rebirth that focuses on cheap electric minivans built with parts shipped from China.

It’s a long way from Faraday’s original plan, which was to build and sell an audacious $309,000 luxury EV called the FF91 – although preorders for that can still seemingly be placed.

Instead, Faraday has launched a spin-off brand called FX, which is tasked with building a range of electric minivans. The first models planned for production include the FX 5 (expected to cost from just $20,000, which is about £16,000) and the FX 6 (starting at $30,000 or about £25,000). These could be offered with two types of powertrain, Faraday Future says, with fully-electric versions and a range-extended option, where a small engine acts as an onboard generator to top up the battery.

The new FX division claims it has an initial goal of “at least one model” rolling off the production line by the end of 2025. That isn’t very long at all, especially for all-new vehicles developed by a company that failed to reach mass production for its previous car.

There are precious few photos of the vehicles, other than a grainy picture of the FX 6 provided by Faraday Future and embedded above. It demonstrated vehicles to journalists in a car park at CES this week, but photographs were not permitted.

As well as all that, Faraday also plans to launch a plush new electric minivan called the FX Super One in the second quarter of 2025. It describes the vehicle as “the first-ever first class AI-MPV in the US,” and adds how it hopes it’ll be “targeted to be a top mobility choice for visionaries and theory familiars and fill a market gap”.

The company doesn’t expand much on what role artificial intelligence (AI) will play, but its goal of producing a high-end electric minivan is actually a sound one. Celebrities no longer book a stretched limo when they want to head into town, or be collected from a concert. But instead they’re increasingly drawn to plush vans like the Mercedes V-Class, which offer a decent tide, plus space for their entourage, shopping and, well, whatever else celebrities tend to travel with. There’s likely a market for diplomatic and executive transportation too.

It seems that Faraday Future has spotted this opportunity. It said this week: “FX Super One is designed to cater to both leaders and visionary groups, represented by celebrities, stars, and high-profile business professionals across various industries, also as a top mobility choice for their families. It merges personal use and family needs.”

There’s no price for the Super One yet, but we can imagine it’ll be positioned well clear of the rest of the FX van range, potentially closing in on the six-figure mark in the US.

Will a fleet of electric vans be enough to save Faraday Future? Or will it once again disappear into obscurity? We’re looking forward to finding out.