What We Learned This Week

Ford’s New “Model T” Moment: Ford this week unveiled a sweeping update to its EV strategy, calling it one of its most significant milestones since the Model T. The plan centers on an all-new vehicle platform designed to underpin future models, paired with updated manufacturing processes aimed at boosting efficiency, cutting costs, and lowering prices. Alongside this, Ford announced $5 billion in additional U.S. manufacturing investment ($2 billion for its Louisville, Kentucky plant and $3 billion for its battery park in Michigan), building on prior commitments to expand domestic production.

While no new vehicles debuted, Ford spotlighted a mid-sized electric pickup planned for 2027 that will leverage new battery tech for more interior space, better performance, and a roughly $30,000 price tag. Developed by its “skunk works” team in California, the platform arrives at a time when EV adoption has been slower than many expected. The next two years will be telling in how Ford positions this strategy to balance cost, performance, and market demand in a rapidly shifting EV landscape.

Perplexity Eyeing Google Chrome: Google received an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer for its Chrome browser this week from Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine company best known for delivering direct answers with linked sources. The twist: Perplexity itself is valued at only about $18 billion after its latest funding round, though it claims to have investor backing if the deal were accepted. The chances of Google seriously entertaining the offer are close to zero, but the move comes against the backdrop of U.S. government pressure over antitrust lawsuits. The DOJ has suggested spinning off Chrome as one potential remedy to last year’s ruling against Google, a decision the company is appealing.

While Google has flatly rejected the idea of parting with Chrome, Perplexity’s bid marks the first public attempt to test whether Google might be forced to reconsider. Valuing Chrome and evaluating the offer is difficult - parent company Alphabet’s market cap tops $2.5 trillion, making a $35 billion transaction relatively insignificant by comparison. Still, if regulatory pressure builds, this could open the door for more speculative proposals, even as Google is likely to fight aggressively to keep one of its most strategic products.

Prime Reaching Further into Grocery: Amazon this week expanded same-day delivery of meat, eggs, and produce to more than 1,000 cities nationwide. Prime members in participating areas can now add fresh items to orders for free when spending over $25, or for $2.99 under that threshold, while non-members will pay $12.99. The service was first tested in Phoenix last year, with additional pilots in select cities. Amazon found customers often added items like strawberries, bananas, and avocados at checkout - many of them first-time grocery shoppers who began ordering nearly twice as often as those who didn’t purchase fresh food. The company plans to reach over 2,300 cities by year-end.

Amazon has spent years experimenting with grocery delivery models, frequently shelving those that didn’t fit its strategy. This broader rollout suggests significant investment in overcoming the logistical challenges of fresh and perishable goods. If successful, it could chip away at one of the last major categories that kept many shoppers tied to physical grocery stores or local delivery services. Competitor stocks including Instacart, Kroger, and Albertsons fell on the news, a sign the market sees potential for Amazon to shift grocery buying habits at scale. One to watch.