Jim Farley doesn’t sound concerned about the Tesla Cybertruck or any other challenger in a new interview. After addressing the new charging deal between Ford and Tesla, the CEO of the former laid out his view on how the F-150 and Cybertruck differ. His comments sound aggressive but are likely little more than pointing out the obvious.
Farley was speaking with CNBC’s Jim Cramer about the future of Ford, its customers, and how American the brand’s vehicles are. After addressing the decision to work with Tesla on charging standards, Farley highlighted his view of how the Cybertruck and F-150 appeal to different demographics.
Speaking about Musk and his approach to a pickup Farley said “If he wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine… It’s like a cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel. But I don’t make trucks like that. I make trucks for real people who do real work, and that’s a different kind of truck.”
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Farley is clearly in a tricky position here. Ford is very much a direct rival to Tesla and at the same time, the two companies did just make a deal regarding charging. Ford will soon integrate Tesla’s North American Charging Standard plug into its vehicles.
Speaking specifically about that shift Farley said that “I have no problem being opportunistic when it comes to advantaging my customers… Our team didn’t really hesitate because it’s good for customers.”
Farley is likely just calling out what most already know: the Cybertruck is a significantly different pickup than the F-150. That’s clear even before Tesla announces final specifications, options, and pricing for the Cybertruck.
It’s not even all that similar to the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Sure, they’re both electric trucks but one is a dedicated EV built from the ground up as an EV and still isn’t available. The other was introduced and made it to production in just over a year’s time.
The styling and brand image that comes with one is almost the polar opposite of the other. It’s likely that each will continue to have the strong fanbase they currently do, even if one hasn’t even begun production.