Michigan is building another one now too, it’s called the Ford Maverick and we’ve slotted a delightfully cheesy Ford video about it further on below. Anyway, it has a number of headline features, with one in particular catching our attention – FITS.

We’re not shouting, FITS stands for Ford Integrated Tether System. Basically put, that’s a slot which you can put different accessories into to personalize your Ford Maverick and give it the accessory layout that fits your purposes. What we’re very interested in, though, is that Ford says it is “working to publish” (just publish it, Ford) the geometry of the slot to enable owners of the truck to 3D print their own accessories.

That means people can get creative with how they’d like their Maverick to be accessorized, and having the ability to 3D print just about anything that fits into the FITS opens up a lot of possibilities truck owners may not have had previously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW9n234a1M8&ab_channel=FordMotorCompany

This obviously leads to a few more questions. Will Ford produce its own 3D printer filament? Perhaps in the colors of Ford car paints? Will Ford put a price on STL files for “official Ford” 3D printable accessories? It’s certainly possible, and it’s going to be interesting to see how a corporate giant such as Ford moves into the open source world it seems so invested in. Surely they’ll have a plan to make some money from the venture somewhere…

Time will tell, of course, and for now it’s too early to be certain, but the fact that you should be able to 3D print your own accessories for a brand new car is a step in the right direction. Nobody enjoys the expensive (and often extensive) options lists on new vehicles, after all.