Ford Motor's Jim Farley Strategy to Combat an Existential Threat

 



Great coverage on the EV state of the art in China, by Michael Colias of the WSJ: What Scared Ford’s CEO in China

"For years, Tesla was the main source of consternation for auto CEOs trying to tackle a transition to electric vehicles. Now, it is the rapid rise of nimble automakers in China that have rattled executives from Detroit to Germany and Japan. Even Tesla’s Elon Musk recently called the Chinese the “most competitive” carmakers in the world."

"BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, starts around $10,000 [subcompact, pictured above] and features a fashionable cabin; a rotating, iPad-like touch screen; and more than 300 miles of driving range, comparable to EVs from legacy automakers that are priced three times higher. It is currently for sale in China and Latin America and BYD plans to start selling it in Europe next year for around $20,000."

"Following early buzz for the F-150 Lightning pickup, which lifted the stock price, fading consumer interest in EVs led to pricing pressure and heavy red ink. Ford is on pace to lose about $5 billion on EVs this year, equal to as much as half of its projected operating profit."


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