--- title: "Ford Wants 100,000 Fathom Sales in First Year. It Took F-150 Lightning Five Years: TDS" date: "2026-09-03" modified: "2026-09-03" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-wants-100000-fathom-sales-in-first-year-it-took-f-150-lightning-five-years-tds" categories: - "News" - "The Downshift" tags: - "Electric Vehicle" - "Ford" - "pickup" --- # Ford Wants 100,000 Fathom Sales in First Year. It Took F-150 Lightning Five Years: TDS ![Ford Fathom truck prototype in Las Vegas]() *\Ford\* Hello and welcome to *[The Downshift]()*, or TDS for short, *The Driveโ€™s* morning news roundup bringing you the biggest automotive headlines from around the world. *The Downshift* recaps news briefly, with links to full stories for those seeking more info. Hereโ€™s your bulletin for Thursday, September 3, 2026. ๐Ÿ”Š The latest episode of *[The Drivecast]()*, *The Driveโ€™s* weekly podcast, [went live yesterday]() on [Apple Podcasts](), [Spotify](), and wherever you get your podcasts. ๐Ÿ“ˆ Ford has set a target of selling 100,000 examples of its new Fathom electric truck in the model's first year on the market, according to a new report. That may be a tall order, as the automaker never managed to move more than 33,000 F-150 Lightning pickups in a single year, and [needed five years]() to manage 105,000 vehicles sold. On one hand, the Fathom will start at $30,000, a price much lower than the Lightning was ever offered for. On the other, the Lightning did benefit from a federal EV tax rebate that is long gone for buyers. *\[[Wall Street Journal]()\]* โ› Spanish rally co-driver Luis Moya, known for his successful career with Carlos Sainz, has poured fuel on the fire that is Toyota's Celica revival. "Next year will be a bit of a dull year," Moya said of the 2027 WRC season, "but we already know that the Toyota team is going to have a Celica," later adding, "they are going to have a Celica as their Rally1 car, and they will have a Rally2 car as well." *\[[Rally Journal]() via [Autoblog]()\]* ๐Ÿš™ Scout has announced two new concepts based on the Traveler that demonstrate the range of performance options and trim customization owners may have at their disposal when the electric SUV goes on sale in 2028. *\[[Scout Motors]()\]* ๐Ÿ”ฉ Tesla has issued strangely specific recall of 19 Model Y SUVs that have front suspension fasteners not torqued to specification. *\[[NHTSA]()\]* ๐Ÿ“‰ Volvo recently ranked 24 of 32 brands in a dealership satisfaction survey, 14 spots lower than it placed five years ago. Franchises are facing inventory issues and sales programs that are changing too quickly, and the automaker's software quality problems haven't helped things, either. *\[[Automotive News]()\]* ๐Ÿข Uber will lay off 3,300 employees, or 10% of its staff, as part of its largest cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic. *\[[Reuters]()\]* ๐Ÿš• Tesla is holding a Cybercab launch event in Austin on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. ET, where we may learn more about the curious two-seat robotaxi. *\[[Reuters]()\]* *Got a tip or feedback for TDS? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com*[]()[]() ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()