Jim Farley's Priorities

[Bob Rosadini]

Well an article last week in WSJ was entitled; "Detroit Quickly Pivots as America Rediscovers Love for Gas Guzzlers".  

 

In that article Mr. Farley goes on to say..."This is a multibillion dollar opportunity over the next couple of years". The article goes on to say Farley said to analysts...Ford was scaling back EV plans and looking to leverage demand for its big SUVs and commercial trucks.

 

Really?  And in the last day or two I've heard/read of his new plans to consider an off road supertruck!  Not being content to pour money into Formula One, Mr Farley looks like he has another-at least in my opinion- desire for speed by dumping money into  another pet project- or rabbit hole!

 

All this while claiming commercial vehicles are a priority.  Or does Mr. Farley think "commercial trucks" is limited to Transits??

 

If so Mr Farley, please spend a few bucks to engineer an air compressor into gas powered 650/750 so you can continue to sell some medium duties on the west coast, as well as offering buyers in the rest of the country, the lowest cost medium duty conventional truck with gasoline/LPG capability with air brakes. 

 

Now to beat others to the punch, no, such a Ford may be less attractive to an International or a Paccar in the same weight classes, but to a large number of buyers where the truck is a necessary vehicle to their primary business as opposed to it being the primary reason for their business, such a Ford would own that portion of the market IMO.

[rmc523]

It's rather clear at this point that the MDs aren't a priority, and that yes, "commercial trucks" does prioritize everything underneath the segment.

 

Getting in an uproar now about how MDs aren't a priority, when they really haven't been for some time, is odd....

[DeluxeStang]

Why does it have to be one of the other? Ford can make something like the GTD, or something like this off-road supercar, a Ford GT for the dirt so to speak. But they can also make a transit, and a super duty, an f-150 all for commercial buyers. Then they can also make hybrids for explorer and expedition owners, and affordable EV trucks, SUVs, and cars for people who just want really reliable, affordable, yet fun vehicles. 

 

There's so much a brand like Ford can, and is doing, and it's the best thing about them as a brand. I love how you can walk into a Ford dealership, and on one side, you have a bronco and mustang gt, then a maverick and bronco sport in the middle, and then a transit work van. There's so much diversity. 

 

As for these large big rig style trucks, I see what Ford doesn't invest a ton of resources into them, because most of the other brands in that segment, that's all they do, large semi sized commercial trucks. They're always gonna have the brand loyalty and competitive advantage over Ford. Ford dominates commercial, but commercial on a smaller scale, different brands do different things. 

 

International might sell way more semi trucks, but if international or caterpillar ever tried to make an f-150 rival, they would get destroyed. 

[fordmantpw]

I would love to see Ford expand the F6/750 line into the Super-C RV arena.  The F600 is taking some of that market, but I think it needs the slightly larger chassis to compete with the Freightliners.  Would also love to see the PowerStroke into the F53 motor home chassis.  Give the class A folks an option for a diesel that's not a super costly diesel pusher.

[DeluxeStang]

I think you're seeing a lot of people, mostly older people, who've always seen Ford run a certain way, and who are now seeing Ford pivoting in a drastically different direction, and it can be hard to understand why Farley is doing what he's doing. 

Here's how I'm seeing it, Ford's focusing more on vehicle segments that turn a profit, and that will always have a future. People will always need commercial vehicles to serve the needs of their business, and people will always aspire to own vehicles like the bronco and mustang. 

 

These super specialized commercial segments that Fords never gonna be a leader in, like semi trucks, and generic transportation pods, they just aren't worth Ford's time. Do things that generate a profit and/or boost the reputation of your brand. 

[02MustangGT]

Farley’s priorities:   Talking.  

[fordmantpw]

Essentially, they just put their resources in the area that gives them the best ROI.  That's business.  Sometimes it sucks for us fans, but to remain in business in you gotta make money.

[Joe771476]

On 8/21/2025 at 2:55 PM, DeluxeStang said:

I think you're seeing a lot of people, mostly older people, who've always seen Ford run a certain way, and who are now seeing Ford pivoting in a drastically different direction, and it can be hard to understand why Farley is doing what he's doing. 

Here's how I'm seeing it, Ford's focusing more on vehicle segments that turn a profit, and that will always have a future. People will always need commercial vehicles to serve the needs of their business, and people will always aspire to own vehicles like the bronco and mustang. 

 

These super specialized commercial segments that Fords never gonna be a leader in, like semi trucks, and generic transportation pods, they just aren't worth Ford's time. Do things that generate a profit and/or boost the reputation of your brand. 

Let's focus on "boost the reputation of your brand." Back in the day, you could go to a Memorial Day or fire dept. parade and see a ton of Ford fire trucks, many of which were C-series which in the early days had F O R D plastered on the front and then later the blue oval. When parents were waiting for the school bus to take their children to school and then back home, they'd see the Ford name on the front. If you don't think that sold Ford cars and trucks to civilians such as the general public; school bus drivers; and firefighters, you're terribly mistaken!

[akirby]

5 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

Let's focus on "boost the reputation of your brand." Back in the day, you could go to a Memorial Day or fire dept. parade and see a ton of Ford fire trucks, many of which were C-series which in the early days had F O R D plastered on the front and then later the blue oval. When parents were waiting for the school bus to take their children to school and then back home, they'd see the Ford name on the front. If you don't think that sold Ford cars and trucks to civilians such as the general public; school bus drivers; and firefighters, you're terribly mistaken!

 Brand loyalty went away in the 90s and it’s not coming back.

[DeluxeStang]

11 minutes ago, akirby said:

 Brand loyalty went away in the 90s and it’s not coming back.

I personally believe it still exists for enthusiasts products. I'm interested in getting a V8 rwd sports car, a mustang is pretty much the only option I'm entertaining, even when factoring in used cars. People are super loyal to the bronco, and Ford GT, and seem to be loyal to newer icons like the maverick as well speaking as a maverick owner. 

 

So loyalty may be dead for the boring cars, but not for the fun ones. That's how I see it at least. 

[DeluxeStang]

20 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

Let's focus on "boost the reputation of your brand." Back in the day, you could go to a Memorial Day or fire dept. parade and see a ton of Ford fire trucks, many of which were C-series which in the early days had F O R D plastered on the front and then later the blue oval. When parents were waiting for the school bus to take their children to school and then back home, they'd see the Ford name on the front. If you don't think that sold Ford cars and trucks to civilians such as the general public; school bus drivers; and firefighters, you're terribly mistaken!

But it's entirely different now. Yes, that's one form of loyalty, people seeing Ford's in their local community so they want to buy a Ford. But it's an entirely different kind of loyalty now. Ford improving their appeal through aspirational products. 

 

I firmly believe offering a Ford GT, a GTD, a mustang, bronco, bronco sport, raptor, and so on, goes a lot further to improve Ford's reputation as a desirable and aspirational brand than these generic A to B products ever did. 

 

Those generic products made Ford popular, the enthusiasts products made Ford a cool "Gotta have it" brand, both served their purpose in their own way. 

[akirby]

22 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

I personally believe it still exists for enthusiasts products. I'm interested in getting a V8 rwd sports car, a mustang is pretty much the only option I'm entertaining, even when factoring in used cars. People are super loyal to the bronco, and Ford GT, and seem to be loyal to newer icons like the maverick as well speaking as a maverick owner. 

 

So loyalty may be dead for the boring cars, but not for the fun ones. That's how I see it at least. 

But that’s not brand loyalty that’s just love for specific models.

 

Look no further than NASCAR.  It used to be Ford vs Dodge vs Chevy.  Now it’s all about the drivers and nobody cares what they drive.

Edited September 14 by akirby

[DeluxeStang]

9 minutes ago, akirby said:

But that’s not brand loyalty that’s just love for specific models.

But isn't this kinda a case of potato pot-ato? If we're talking about brand loyalty, that's kinda intertwined with loyalty to specific models. Someone who's a massive bronco enthusiast, and who only wants to own broncos, may not be loyal to every Ford in the lineup. But if they're strongly committed to owning and supporting a product that only Ford offers, doesn't that still make them loyal to the Ford brand?

[akirby]

14 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

But isn't this kinda a case of potato pot-ato? If we're talking about brand loyalty, that's kinda intertwined with loyalty to specific models. Someone who's a massive bronco enthusiast, and who only wants to own broncos, may not be loyal to every Ford in the lineup. But if they're strongly committed to owning and supporting a product that only Ford offers, doesn't that still make them loyal to the Ford brand?

That wasn’t the point he made.  He was saying if you see a Ford truck or tractor it makes you want to buy a Mustang. 

[DeluxeStang]

18 minutes ago, akirby said:

That wasn’t the point he made.  He was saying if you see a Ford truck or tractor it makes you want to buy a Mustang. 

True, but the point I'm making is brand loyalty, and our approach to it changes over time. I get where you guys are coming from, 50 years ago, someone would buy a Ford just because they wanted to support an American brand. That sort of brand loyalty is dead for the most part, I agree. 

 

But you have other types of loyalty now. Someone may not be a Ford fanatic because of where Ford's are built, but because of the kinds of cars Ford builds. I'm loyal to Ford not purely due to the fact that they're an American brand, but because I like the unique position they offer in the market of making a lot of affordable aspirational vehicles. 

 

Loyalty can take on many different forms for a variety of reasons. 

[akirby]

21 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

True, but the point I'm making is brand loyalty, and our approach to it changes over time. I get where you guys are coming from, 50 years ago, someone would buy a Ford just because they wanted to support an American brand. That sort of brand loyalty is dead for the most part, I agree. 

 

But you have other types of loyalty now. Someone may not be a Ford fanatic because of where Ford's are built, but because of the kinds of cars Ford builds. I'm loyal to Ford not purely due to the fact that they're an American brand, but because I like the unique position they offer in the market of making a lot of affordable aspirational vehicles. 

 

Loyalty can take on many different forms for a variety of reasons. 

Dont disagree but that’s wasn’t Joe’s point

[DeluxeStang]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Dont disagree but that’s wasn’t Joe’s point

I gotcha, I'm just offering my own spin on it. 

[Joe771476]

13 hours ago, akirby said:

 Brand loyalty went away in the 90s and it’s not coming back.

Gee I just read an article where Ford has the most loyal customers. I'm sure somebody can find it. I'm leaving for breakfast soon.

[DeluxeStang]

3 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

Gee I just read an article where Ford has the most loyal customers. I'm sure somebody can find it. I'm leaving for breakfast soon.

What's interesting is, and we've broken this down with our discussions, there's multiple dimensions to it. As Akirby said, there's loyalty to specific models, and the brand overall. I've personally met my fair share of people who swear by certain types of Ford's, but couldn't care less about other parts of the lineup. 

 

I remember a gentleman who owned some sort of business where he had a fleet of Ford trucks. He said Ford trucks were great, and the only kind of trucks he would buy. But he would never buy a Ford car, which I thought was really interesting. 

[mackinaw]

1 hour ago, DeluxeStang said:

I remember a gentleman who owned some sort of business where he had a fleet of Ford trucks. He said Ford trucks were great, and the only kind of trucks he would buy. But he would never buy a Ford car, which I thought was really interesting. ....

 

I've heard this several times throughout the decades.  A logger I knew in Michigan's UP only drove Ford trucks and wouldn't even think about owning a Ford car.

[Joe771476]

19 hours ago, akirby said:

But that’s not brand loyalty that’s just love for specific models.

 

Look no further than NASCAR.  It used to be Ford vs Dodge vs Chevy.  Now it’s all about the drivers and nobody cares what they drive.

You're right about NASCAR! It's because the cars are cookie cutter and  homogenous. Except for the cosmetic differences like the fake taillights and decals, they're basically the same vehicle.  Even the engines are VERY similar. There are 4 engine builders. All have 750 HP and torque ranges from 485 to 500. I don't watch it much anymore. These new generations don't care about car racing. Heck, they don't even want to drive a car! They don't want to become volunteer or full-time firefighters, police officers, public works workers.....nothing!  You think a teenager today wants to drive a dump/plow truck all night in the winter?! You think they want to lay asphalt down?! Robots, androids and AI can't do this stuff!

Edited September 14 by Joe771476

[DeluxeStang]

35 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

You're right about NASCAR! It's because the cars are cookie cutter and  homogenous. Except for the cosmetic differences like the fake taillights and decals, they're basically the same vehicle.  Even the engines are VERY similar. There are 4 engine builders. All have 750 HP and torque ranges from 485 to 500. I don't watch it much anymore. These new generations don't care about car racing. Heck, they don't even want to drive a car! 

I don't agree that young people don't want to drive, speaking as a young person. I actually believe car enthusiasm as a result of car events, social media, and media like movies and video games, is higher than ever. You see young people literally chasing after exotic cars to look at and film them. 

 

The passion is there. Here are two things worth noting, the people citing things like fewer young people getting licenses indicates young people aren't into cars. I disagree, they're actually saying driving manual is making a resurgence amongst gen z. The people who aren't getting a license, who don't want to drive or who don't care about cars, these people have ALWAYS been the majority in society. 

 

I mean, we're all enthusiasts, but let's be real, a good portion of our family and friends probably couldn't care less about cars, and only drive because they have to. It's always been that way. The only thing that's changed is with things like ride sharing and public transportation are more viable options now. You can get away with no owning a car a lot more easily now than you could 50 years ago, and so those people just aren't driving. If smart phones and Uber had been a thing 50 years ago, you would have seen the same thing. 

[DeluxeStang]

44 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

You're right about NASCAR! It's because the cars are cookie cutter and  homogenous. Except for the cosmetic differences like the fake taillights and decals, they're basically the same vehicle.  Even the engines are VERY similar. There are 4 engine builders. All have 750 HP and torque ranges from 485 to 500. I don't watch it much anymore. These new generations don't care about car racing. Heck, they don't even want to drive a car! They don't want to become volunteer or full-time firefighters, police officers, public works workers.....nothing!  You think a teenager today wants to drive a dump/plow truck all night in the winter?! You think they want to lay asphalt down?! Robots, androids and AI can't do this stuff!

But the second part of my argument is look at the automotive landscape decades ago compared to now. If you were a 20 yr old car enthusiast in 1997, you had all sorts of sport cars, coupes, hatchbacks, sedans, and trucks to choose from. These days, how many options for a new somewhat affordable sporty car do young enthusiasts really have?

 

You have the Miata, which is great, but it's the size of the shoebox. Then you have the gr86 which is the size of a shoebox, and has motor reliability issues that scare people away. Then you have the mustang Ecoboost which is solid, but dealers load them with options so they're 45 grand, and you have to deal with all the idiots who don't respect anything that isn't a V8 muscle car. 

 

The options for affordable fun new cars are limited as hell right now, and all of them have some sort of downsides, super small size, reliability issues, perception and reputation issues within the car community, etc. 

[tbone]

19 hours ago, akirby said:

 Brand loyalty went away in the 90s and it’s not coming back.

 

19 hours ago, akirby said:

But that’s not brand loyalty that’s just love for specific models.

 

Look no further than NASCAR.  It used to be Ford vs Dodge vs Chevy.  Now it’s all about the drivers and nobody cares what they drive.

I meant to post this last night, but apparently I fell asleep in the process.
 

I don’t agree with your definition of brand loyalty.  IMO, NASCAR is not a good example, as NASCAR has made an effort to de-emphasize the brands and there really is no tie to production cars anymore.  You can hardly find the manufacturer logos on the cars now. I would not mind if they dropped out of NASCAR and focused on other forms of racing where the fact that it is a Ford product is emphasized.  
 

DeluxeStang made some valid points regarding Ford’s that people love.  More specifically, there is most definitely brand loyalty when it comes to trucks.  
 

Virtually every friend and family member I have has a truck, and their trucks consist of various  brands.  Every one of them is brand loyal.  My Ford truck friends don’t consider other brands when buying new trucks, and I would wager that is the case with a large majority of Ford truck buyers.  
 

In respect to the general commodity car buyer perhaps not, but those that are already buying Ford’s they are passionate about are likely inclined to buy other Fords in addition to the specific model they have.  

 

[akirby]

26 minutes ago, tbone said:

Virtually every friend and family member I have has a truck, and their trucks consist of various  brands.  Every one of them is brand loyal.  My Ford truck friends don’t consider other brands when buying new trucks, and I would wager that is the case with a large majority of Ford truck buyers.  

I agree but that’s limited to truck buyers.  And you’re ignoring the initial comment I was responding to which said things like large trucks and school buses with Ford logos would sell passenger vehicles.

 

Its almost a moot point without a full lineup of vehicles to choose from.