Ford CEO admits 'the customer has spoken' amid company's worst performance slip since 2008 financial crisis: 'It's a big miss'

[Montana Ranger]

Toyota didn't go "all in" on EVs, which was a huge gamble and has proven to be correct. They are now much better positioned. Ford, and to a lessor extent GM, went all in.

EVERY TIME the government gets involved it's inefficient and costs the citizens money.

Toyota was highly mocked for their decision to resist the crowd, but now Mr. Toyoda is being hailed as a genius for observing what should have been obvious to anyone reading the consumer and situation. (Now, if only they could get their QC issues under control) 10 years ago, it seemed obvious to everyone else that California and the federal government were going to force EVs down everyone's throat in 15 years or so whether EV tech and infrastructure was ready or not. Between that threat and the allure of subsidies, most of the auto industry got in line. The result was billions of dollars wasted and overly complex vehicles that cost far more than they should and are far less reliable as they should be.

Sponsored

 

[pbethel]

If they really cared there would be a rear leaf spring recall for affected vehicles and an extended transmission warranty.

They only care in print.

I kind of took most of 2024 and 2025 off from this forum so what did I miss about the rear springs?
Never mind. I found the post.

 

[VAMike]

Hopefully Ford will now see the light and give us MORE 4 DOOR TRUCKS !!! And hopefully make the back seats more "kid friendly " and expand it further back...MUCH further back really, so groceries and my briefcase and such can be out of the wind and weather...

Maybe they could then add a sliding door? It would be the most functional & practical family vehicle in Ford's lineup!

Then they could maybe make a smaller 2 door truck with at least a 6 foot bed that I'd actually consider buying--unlike anything that Ford makes today.

 

[VAMike]

I love how Ford blames the failure on "it's electric" and not "you can't find one for less than $60k, and probably well over $70k". They made a conscious decision to only make expensive vehicles, they can't reasonably be shocked at selling fewer of them. You want to sell 400k units of a new model? Make it an affordable car...

 

[TJC]

Toyota was highly mocked for their decision to resist the crowd, but now Mr. Toyoda is being hailed as a genius for observing what should have been obvious to anyone reading the consumer and situation. (Now, if only they could get their QC issues under control) 10 years ago, it seemed obvious to everyone else that California and the federal government were going to force EVs down everyone's throat in 15 years or so whether EV tech and infrastructure was ready or not. Between that threat and the allure of subsidies, most of the auto industry got in line. The result was billions of dollars wasted and overly complex vehicles that cost far more than they should and are far less reliable as they should be.

Toyota and Mazda both held out.

And I am convinced that EV adoption has more to do with control than any efficiency gained or climate issue. EVs simply move the pollution from the car to the smoke stack. And modern auto are very clean, A typical push mower emits more pollution that a car. And CO2 (no matter what they tell us) is not evil, in fact higher CO2 levels will increase plant growth dramatically. The up goes the O2 levels right behind it.

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

I love how Ford blames the failure on "it's electric" and not "you can't find one for less than $60k, and probably well over $70k". They made a conscious decision to only make expensive vehicles, they can't reasonably be shocked at selling fewer of them. You want to sell 400k units of a new model? Make it an affordable car...

I think Farley knows this and this is why he's fixated on his "$30,000 truck". Problem for Farley is the reality of a $30,000 truck is a Slate. And I don't think he has something that spartan in mind.

 

[VAMike]

I think Farley knows this and this is why he's fixated on his "$30,000 truck". Problem for Farley is the reality of a $30,000 truck is a Slate. And I don't think he has something that spartan in mind.

I would love to get a slate, I hope they actually happen. That's not something Ford could wrap its head around.

 

[got3fords]

I would love to get a slate, I hope they actually happen. That's not something Ford could wrap its head around.

They look awfully small and cramped.

 

[Texasota]

I would love to get a slate, I hope they actually happen. That's not something Ford could wrap its head around.

Ford understands the issue and the market. They know that some buyers would be attracted to the Slate concept, but the overwhelming majority of the market would take a hard pass.

 

[VAMike]

Ford understands the issue and the market. They know that some buyers would be attracted to the Slate concept, but the overwhelming majority of the market would take a hard pass.

If Ford understood the market, they wouldn't be losing money, right? We won't know how well the slate will sell unless/until it's available. I think there's a market for a small, cheap, utilitarian vehicle that will be all over it. I still see a lot of people trying to keep their 20 year old last-gen rangers (and similar vintage toyotas) because they don't want a giant supertruck, they want something small and practical. I'd much rather buy a new small truck than someone else's god-knows-how-it-was-maintained ancient rusted-out truck, but I can't buy that thing. The problem for the domestic manufacturers is that they've become incapable of making a small vehicle cheaply and depend on large high-margin vehicles too much to provide an option for something else.

 

[AzScorpion]

Ford understands the issue and the market. They know that some buyers would be attracted to the Slate concept, but the overwhelming majority of the market would take a hard pass.

Almost like a standard transmission. Sure there are a few who want them but not enough to make it profitable for them to produce. People want convenience and and automatic gives them that. Plus today we have way too many distracted drivers. These people can't drive now can you imagine them driving a stick while on their phones

 

[veedubtuner]

Another Manufacturer nixes their EV program.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets...t-ev-launch-calls-development-expensive-hobby

 

[AzScorpion]

Another Manufacturer nixes their EV program.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets...t-ev-launch-calls-development-expensive-hobby

Lambo has a very limited market () but at least they see the big picture for their customers. It's nice to see them giving their customers what they want and not forcing them on something they don't. Even so the Big 3 should've still took a slower approach instead of going full throttle.

Winkelmann told The Sunday Times the "acceptance curve" for EVs in Lamborghini's target market was "close to zero" and flattening amid a lack of interest from the luxury automaker's clientele.

With Lamborghini canceling plans to move forward with the EV, the company plans to replace it in the lineup with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

When asked in the interview whether the company will ever have an EV in its lineup, Winkelmann told the outlet, "Never say never, but only when the time is right. For the foreseeable future, only PHEVs. We will continue to develop electrification because we also need to be ready."

 

[VAMike]

Almost like a standard transmission. Sure there are a few who want them but not enough to make it profitable for them to produce. People want convenience and and automatic gives them that. Plus today we have way too many distracted drivers. These people can't drive now can you imagine them driving a stick while on their phones

not like a manual, because that needs a whole new round of emissions work. this is bolting on parts that they already make; there's always a cost in maintaining an option, but it's nothing like a new drivetrain.

 

[Montana Ranger]

I love how Ford blames the failure on "it's electric" and not "you can't find one for less than $60k, and probably well over $70k". They made a conscious decision to only make expensive vehicles, they can't reasonably be shocked at selling fewer of them. You want to sell 400k units of a new model? Make it an affordable car...

The reality has been that for the last 25 years or so, the smaller, cheaper vehicles they were required to sell to meet CAFE standards were actually being subsidized by the high-end SUVs and trucks where the margins were high. They got tired of losing money on the low end and decided to go all-in on the high end. It was also largely the consumer's fault for being willing to pay over $60k for a pickup truck. I'm old enough to remember when people bought pickups because they were cheaper than cars.

Sponsored