Ford CEO Jim Farley gave a candid interview to Car and Driver, discussing the company's electric vehicle journey. He revealed that a detailed teardown analysis of a Tesla vehicle left him "absolutely flabbergasted." Farley admitted that Ford's deep-rooted bias towards internal combustion engines had prevented the company from designing electric cars correctly initially.
Farley, a self-described petrol head, explained that his personal experience driving the Ford F-150 Lightning made him a genuine EV enthusiast, separate from politics. He stated that the teardown was a humbling moment, revealing that Tesla engineers succeeded because they approached design without the same prejudice.
The CEO believes this electrification shift would have excited company founder Henry Ford, who would have been "up all night" working on the next innovation. Farley concluded that Ford has now learned from this experience and is fully engaged in the transformational moment of automotive electrification.