• 3 min read
REO’s $21,500 4WD Truck Takes $25 Reservations
REO’s Runabout T4X starts at $21,500, with $25 refundable reservations, mechanical 4WD, a gasoline I4, and planned late-2028 deliveries.
Image: Hacker News
REO says it is bringing back the REO name with an affordable, body-on-frame 4WD pickup called the Runabout T4X. The truck starts at $21,500, and reservations are open for a $25 fully refundable deposit. Reservation position is determined by the time each deposit is made.
The company describes the T4X as a two-seat, two-door truck with a signature steel drop-side flatbed. Its planned hardware includes:
- A naturally aspirated gasoline I4 engine
- Mechanical 4WD
- Six-speed manual or automatic transmission
- Approximately 600 miles per tank
- A targeted powertrain life of 500,000 miles
- Physical controls, analog gauges, and one small screen for diagnostics and CarPlay
REO says the cabin will have no subscriptions or feature locks. It also claims every panel can be removed in under five minutes with common tools, diagnostics can be read using a $30 scanner, and a public parts catalog will remain available for 20 years. The company says there will be no parts-pairing.
REO T4X production timeline
The site lists three variants built on one platform, with trucks designed, certified, and assembled in Texas, USA. REO plans to sell directly online, without dealers, dealer markups, or unnecessary fees.
- Now: Reservations open
- Q4 2026: Production design and full lineup revealed
- 2027: Pilot builds, testing, and certification to federal standards
- 2028: Reservations convert to orders in priority sequence through a configurator
- Late 2028 / 2029: First deliveries, in reservation order
The timeline is marked as subject to change. REO’s published engineering-target table currently displays 0 lb payload, 0 lb maximum towing, 0 inches for length, width, and height, approximately 0 mpg, approximately 0 lb curb weight, and a 0-gallon fuel tank. The page also labels competitor figures as approximate and for comparison only, suggesting those specifications have not yet been finalized.
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REO’s direct-parts model and history
REO says its gasoline powertrain choice is deliberate: “90% of new cars sold still run on gas,” according to the company, which says proven technology will help put more trucks in American hands at a lower price. It positions the mechanical-first design around reliability rather than retro styling.
The company also promises a direct-parts marketplace with vetted sellers, published prices, no dealer gatekeeping, and no parts-pairing. Its planned Owners' Club will be an REO-run and moderated forum where owners can propose future features and receive public answers from the team.
REO traces its history to 1901, when Ransom E. Olds built the Curved Dash Runabout, described by the company as America’s first mass-produced car, priced at $650—about $25,000 today. Olds founded REO in 1905 after being pushed out of Oldsmobile. The REO Speed Wagon arrived in 1915, and the company closed in 1975 after seventy years of American truck production.
REO says it will return in 2026 to build “the affordable American truck no one else will.” The company’s listed location is 32.7767° N · 96.7970° W.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via Hacker News
