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Ford CEO Jim Farley Says BYD Pickup Appealing But Flawed


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https://fordauthority.com/2026/03/ford-ceo-jim-farley-says-byd-pickup-appealing-but-flawed/

 

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"They're different. How I make of it, they're totally different animals. The Shark is a ute, but if you put 500kg in the back, it's not a Ranger, it's not a HiLux. But for someone who doesn't do that every day, and they want electrification, you know, it's a pretty competitive product. I have no idea how they make money when we tear it apart."

 

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11 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

https://fordauthority.com/2026/03/ford-ceo-jim-farley-says-byd-pickup-appealing-but-flawed/

 

"I spent three days driving LandCruiser 70s, the Shark, the Great Wall product - the PHEV," Farley told the media at the Australian Grand Prix, according to Drive. "They're different. How I make of it, they're totally different animals. The Shark is a ute, but if you put 500kg in the back, it's not a Ranger, it's not a HiLux. But for someone who doesn't do that every day, and they want electrification, you know, it's a pretty competitive product. I have no idea how they make money when we tear it apart."

 

The next paragraph in that article makes for interesting reading, Farley as CEO of Ford  cannot work out how

a vertically integrated battery maker like BYD can sell the Shark 6 at a profit.

Maybe the Chinese governmeBYD way more financial support than the US Government gives manufacturers like Ford…..

 

Quote

Farley added that he "much prefer[s]" a Ranger for "real work," adding "it's no competition. But not everyone in Australia buys a Ranger to do the kind of work that we design it for. There's a lot of different kinds of customers here." In Australia, the BYD Shark 6 is averaging 1,567 sales per month, compared to 196 for the Ford Ranger PHEV, which is certainly cause for alarm - particularly since the Ranger is that country's best-selling vehicle, overall.


The issue is that Ford has produced a PHEV primarily as a diesel replacement for Europe but for Australian customers

the needs and usage is quite different. Although the Ranger puts up a fine effort it is found wanting mostly because

Ford severely detuned the power of the 2.3 Ecoboost  to 138 Kw 184 hp @ 4,600 and 411 nm 304 lbft @ 2,700 which

comes strongly into play when towing 7,000 lb trailer at highway speed with no hybrid assistance. Mind you, Shark 6 gets

into trouble in the same situation when the battery is depleted and the 1.5 turbo has to manage the lot with only that

direct drive available over 70 kph 45 mph.

Edited by jpd80
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I just don't see PHEV trucks catching on with consumers.  It's a perfect fit for a small number of use cases but a powerboost hybrid would be 10 times more successful.

 

I'm also not convinced the EREV F150 lightning is going to work either.  It won't have enough battery range for the EV lovers and if you still have to use gas then why not just buy a powerboost?

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32 minutes ago, akirby said:

I just don't see PHEV trucks catching on with consumers.  It's a perfect fit for a small number of use cases but a powerboost hybrid would be 10 times more successful.

 

I'm also not convinced the EREV F150 lightning is going to work either.  It won't have enough battery range for the EV lovers and if you still have to use gas then why not just buy a powerboost?

Two of the biggest advantages of the old Lightning, for me, were the huge frunk for items i don't want in the cab and far less maintenance (oil changes) visits because Ford dealers take forever to do even basic maintenance... You lose both of those advantages with the EREV. At that point, id rather just get a hybrid F-150. And I have bought 3 EVs in the last 4 years.  

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Farley is correct is pointing out that basically the only thing protecting Ford from Chinese competition is Ford's moat around the uplifters. It's the same moat Ford has in North America and Europe that allows it dominate the commercial market.

 

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"They don't have all the upfitters, you know – so they're coming at it with a huge deficit. But it's a good, solid, competitive product."

 

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5 hours ago, akirby said:

I just don't see PHEV trucks catching on with consumers.  It's a perfect fit for a small number of use cases but a powerboost hybrid would be 10 times more successful.

 

I'm also not convinced the EREV F150 lightning is going to work either.  It won't have enough battery range for the EV lovers and if you still have to use gas then why not just buy a powerboost?

This is all about green image and being seen as reducing CO2 emissions with current ICE vehicles.

Let me explain by using Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (based on Euro 6d)

 

The V6 diesel Ranger has a NVES CO2 rating of over 220 g/km while the PHEV Ranger is down around 66 g/km

which is basically the object of the new regulations - the elimination of high CO2 producing vehicles.

From what I gather, the Shark 6 with bigger battery is even better with 46 g/100 km

 

Its also an opportunity for businesses to make the switch - I think that now a consideration that’s required

under the new ISO 9001 certification

 

Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) sets mandatory, annually decreasing CO2
𝐶𝑂2 emission limits for new passenger (Type 1) and light commercial vehicles (Type 2) starting in 2025. In 2025, the targets are 141g/km for Type 1 and 210g/km for Type 2, with limits tightening to 68g/km and 122g/km respectively by 2028
 
Key NVES  CO2
𝐶𝑂2 Emission Targets (Headline Limits)
  • 2025: Type 1 (141g/km), Type 2 (210g/km)
  • 2026: Type 1 (117g/km), Type 2 (180g/km)
  • 2027: Type 1 (92g/km), Type 2 (150g/km)
  • 2028: Type 1 (68g/km), Type 2 (122g/km) 
 
How the NVES Works
  • Scope: Applies to new passenger cars, SUVs, utes, and vans up to 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass.
  • Targets: The targets are national averages for each manufacturer's fleet, meaning they can sell high-emission vehicles if offset by low-emission models.
  • Credits & Penalties: Manufacturers earn credits for beating targets or incur penalties for exceeding them. Companies can trade credits.
  • Compliance: The system incentivizes a faster transition to fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles.
  • Results (2025): In the first, partially-implemented period, many brands were above their targets, leading to the need for credit trading.
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23 hours ago, akirby said:

I'm also not convinced the EREV F150 lightning is going to work either.  It won't have enough battery range for the EV lovers and if you still have to use gas then why not just buy a powerboost?

 

I think the biggest reason they are going EREV is to address concerns for towing and distance concerns people have. Hybrids in larger products are nothing more then power adders the vast majority of the time and don't have a significate improvement in MPG. Its about a 22% improvement around town with the Hybrid F-150 vs the most fuel efficient F-150 with the 2.7L (City primarily) but for how much more in price? I'm sure the difference in price would buy me gas for a couple of years with my commute. 

 

If you drive less then 200 miles a day with a EREV, you should be able to use nothing but the battery for that. It would operate just like the EV lightning. 

 

But also have no idea how well that would break down in saving gas or with CAFE either. 

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4 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

If you drive less then 200 miles a day with a EREV, you should be able to use nothing but the battery for that. It would operate just like the EV lightning. 

Hmm, that of course would require that owners plug it in. I do recall some interesting discussions about owners never plugging in their PHEVs. 😏

image.jpeg

Edited by Texasota
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2 hours ago, Texasota said:

Hmm, that of course would require that owners plug it in. I do recall some interesting discussions about owners never plugging in their PHEVs. 😏

image.jpeg

I do recall a recent response by a new PHEV Ranger on and Australian forum, he is pleased with the vehicle

and as mentioned doesn't always charge up the battery but interestingly, driving it as a hybrid, he still gets

good fuel economy, averaging US 27 mpg to 35 mpg which sounds like a great result.

 

 

Quote

[QUOTE=dexi_;7010892]I've just got the phev sport and I love it.  Lots of city driving and it's getting between 6.6 to 8.5l/100 on the highway starting at%0 battery charge ie regen only.[/QUOTE]

 

 

 

Edited by jpd80
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7 hours ago, Texasota said:

Hmm, that of course would require that owners plug it in. I do recall some interesting discussions about owners never plugging in their PHEVs. 😏

 

 

Hey now 😛

 

I'd like to think that EREV would set off some people that is more of an EV then an ICE product....but there are lots of stupid people out there. 

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8 hours ago, jpd80 said:

I do recall a recent response by a new PHEV Ranger on and Australian forum, he is pleased with the vehicle

and as mentioned doesn't always charge up the battery but interestingly, driving it as a hybrid, he still gets

good fuel economy, averaging US 27 mpg to 35 mpg which sounds like a great result.

JP, do the Aussie’s have government fuel efficiency ratings for the Ranger PHEV similar to our EPA MPG ratings?

 

I’m curious what the “official” ratings are for the Ranger PHEV.

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1 hour ago, Texasota said:

JP, do the Aussie’s have government fuel efficiency ratings for the Ranger PHEV similar to our EPA MPG ratings?

 

I’m curious what the “official” ratings are for the Ranger PHEV.

Yes, we used to use similar to Europe Urban Extra urban mileage but in the last few years

that’s all changes to new testing cycle that’s more real world

 

https://realworld.org.au

 

 

Real-World Testing: While the 2025 models are certified with these figures,

recent testing has shown many 2025 models in Australia can exceed official

lab-tested fuel consumption by up to one-third. 

 
The 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV has a claimed combined fuel economy rating of 2.9L/100km based on lab testing, featuring an 11.8kWh battery that provides around 45-49km of electric-only range (WLTP). Real-world driving suggests that once the battery is depleted, fuel consumption increases to roughly 7–9.5L/100km in mixed driving.
Edited by jpd80
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16 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Real-world driving suggests that once the battery is depleted, fuel consumption increases to roughly 7–9.5L/100km in mixed driving.

 

That would suggest 24.7 - 33.6 MPG to us Yanks. Not bad. 
 

Thanks!

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