Chinese cars are delivering a wake-up call to the West, Ford CEO Jim Farley admits
Image: Ford via AFP
It's no secret that Chinese car manufacturers pose a significant existential threat to the 'established' carmakers from Europe, the US, Japan and South Korea.
For the most part their leaders are hugely concerned about the path ahead, but none are as bluntly honest and vocal about the position that 'western' firms find themselves in, as Ford's Chief Executive Jim Farley.
The CEO has previously stated his admiration for the new wave of Chinese vehicles, even admitting last year that he loved the Xiaomi SU7 that he had been driving at the time.
Speaking at the recent Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, Farley again expressed his deep admiration for Chinese cars. He even suggested that Ford may not be around in the future if it cannot keep pace with competition from the east, CGTN Europe reported.
'It's the most humbling thing I've ever seen. 70% of all EVs in the world (electric vehicles) are made in China,' Farley said.
'They have far superior in-vehicle technology. Huawei and Xiaomi are in every car. They have facial recognition. You get in, you don't have to pair your phone, your whole digital life is mirrored in the car. You have an AI companion that you can talk to - ChatGPT equivalent in China. All the automatic payment is already there. You can buy movie tickets. It has facial recognition so it knows who's in which seat and which media you like.'
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When asked why Ford cars don't have that, the CEO said part of the reason was that Google and Apple were not in the car business.
But beyond that, he said, their cost and quality were becoming superior to what we were seeing in the 'west'.
'I mean, we are in a global competition with China and it's not just EVs, and if we lose this we do not have a future Ford.'
Sobering words, those.
But at least the Ford CEO is prepared to face the facts.
In a prior interview with Robert Llewellyn's podcast, Farley said that when a new technology comes (referring to EVs in this instance) there is a fitness test for cost.
Whoever has the lowest cost, like Henry Ford did with the Model T, would ultimately win the battle in global markets.
The Ford CEO, in a separate interview with CNBC in 2024, said that making electric vehicles profitable would require radical change.
'The first thing we have to do is really put all of our capital toward smaller, more affordable EVs. That's the duty cycle that we've now found that really matches. These big, huge, enormous EVs, they're never going to make money. The battery is $50,000… The batteries will never be affordable.'
To that end, the company is working on a new affordable electric vehicle platform that will be a 'major step forward' in its strategy to bend the cost curve of electric vehicles. These vehicles will also offer more personal digital customisation. The first product off this platform, a midsize pick-up (bakkie) is due in 2027 in the US.
For the time being Ford will also be focusing its EV game on larger and more expensive vehicles.
In August 2024, Ford announced that it was broadening its electrification strategy to reach more customers and improve profitability. Thus Ford will focus its next generation of electrified and digitally advanced vehicles where it currently has competitive advantages, namely commercial vans, midsize and large pick-up trucks and long-range SUVs.
This will see an electric commercial van entering the market in 2026, followed by two pick-up trucks in 2027.
Ford also plans to realign its US battery sourcing plan to reduce costs and maximise capacity utilisation.
'An affordable electric vehicle starts with an affordable battery,' Farley said. 'If you are not competitive on battery cost, you are not competitive.'
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