🥊 Them's fighting words! Ford's Farley disses Cybertruck: 'I make trucks for real people who do real work'

[papajamaliciousness]

It will come down to efficiency in manufacturing. If Tesla can produce a truck 20% cheaper than Ford and is willing to sell it at 20% cheaper there is no amount of crap talk or branding that can have enough influence over what people buy. In my opinion most trucks on the road are ugly so saying CT is ugly to someone that has been buying ugly all their life should not have much impact. Practicality of design and capability may be the only thing competing with the price. If CT has better range and faster charging but misses on some practicality like side loading ease, buttons, internal storage, back seat space, it still could win.

Yeah so basically we agree that the issue is price sensitive. Truck owners really are tribal. Where I live it used to be common to see Dodge trucks with anti-Ford bumperstickers and Ford trucks with anti-other people stickers. I couldn't keep track of all the tribalist bumperstickers. Kind of ridiculous since everyone is basically driving the same frickin thing with different branding. (But why do people buy Dodges? They always rust out after a few years--I don't get it). So some people will keep buying Ford til the sky falls regardless of anything. But for me I really do believe the cybertruck is a legitimate existential threat to Ford, although Ford is doing its best to respond and maybe they can.

However Tesla is not in the habit of passing along all its savings to its customers. Elon is not shy to price his products based on the value he perceives and not the cost to him. Otherwise he wouldn't have by far the largest margins in the automotive world.

But sure I basically agree with you that the CT will very likely be extremely competitive and Ford is, to stretch a metaphor, either the dinosaurs watching the asteroid that is coming to wipe them out or the dinosaurs looking at the asteroid that will be a near miss.

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[papajamaliciousness]

It’s easy for those of us here to forget that it’s presently a small fraction of the truck buying world that would consider any BEV truck, forget which is the “better” one.

Not true my friend. Cybertruck is aimed at the gas version of the F150 and its market share. The Lightning may be aimed at the "BEV market" but the Cybertruck is aimed at the entire pickup market. It's a missile aimed at the heart of the entire core of Ford's business.

The Model Y is one of the best selling vehicles period. It's not just aimed at the electric vehicle market. The Model 3 drastically reduced demand for BMWs, it wasn't only aimed at the electric-interested market.

To paraphrase Conor McGregor, the Cybertruck is not here to take part, it's here to take over.

 

[Baldey]

"and we are the market leader for EV trucks and vans" - Jim Farley

Better, but the delusion of this man-baby-ceo is still palpable.

 

[cvalue13]

Not true my friend. Cybertruck is aimed at the gas version of the F150 and its market share. The Lightning may be aimed at the "BEV market" but the Cybertruck is aimed at the entire pickup market. It's a missile aimed at the heart of the entire core of Ford's business.

The Model Y is one of the best selling vehicles period. It's not just aimed at the electric vehicle market. The Model 3 drastically reduced demand for BMWs, it wasn't only aimed at the electric-interested market.

To paraphrase Conor McGregor, the Cybertruck is not here to take part, it's here to take over.

fine

split hairs however you choose

but as an initial matter, you seem to misunderstanding total market penetration

the world of vehicle buyers is not coextensive with the world of NEW vehicle buyers

nor is the coastal sedan M3 crowd coextensive with the 1/2+ pickup crowd

nor is the 1/2 ton pickup crowd coextensive with the light and medium-duty pickup crowd

nor is the 1/2 ton retail sales crowd coextensive with the fleet/etc., crowd

After narrowing all the above worlds down to the fraction that is relevant to new, 1/2 ton class pickup, retail, buyers:

nor has Tesla released either pricing, model roll-out timing, production ramp up expectations, etc., which altogether are the foremost critical bit ms of information needed to understand exactly how much penetration, into this relatively small segment of buyers, the CT will have and over what time period

But I understand this won’t land well with you, as you appear to have your face grease painted with your team colors, and you’re several $16 plastic cup stadium beers into whichever “sport” you’ve confused this with

 

[cvalue13]

"and we are the market leader for EV trucks and vans" - Jim Farley

Better, but the delusion of this man-baby-ceo is still palpable.

On what metric exactly is it delusional?

they have, presently sold the most BEV pick up trucks. For whatever that isn’t worth to you. And they are presently, producing some of the only, and selling the vast majority of any, electric vans.

Which is all to say, in the lingo of any public company CEO, he’s being precise and accurate, and no more or less delusional than any other CEO making similar comments.

 

[Greshnab]

i keep reading and have believed for a while that truck owners are tribal.. but now i have to think ARE they really??

Bear with me a bit.. YES the old school pickup drivers that either work with/in a pickup or are simply so tall they always own a pickup for headroom are VERY tribal.. for them the brand is worth more than the model...

but what percentage of pickup owners is that??

I suspect what tesla is about to demonstrate and what several surveys have pointed out is that the average pickup owner doesn't even NEED a pickup they tow less than 1 time a year and haul a bed full less than 1 time per year. You can't skimp on those don't get me wrong but how many of THOSE people are tribal?? I am betting the number is a LOT lower than people think. The owner of Ford says he knows their customers i would argue he knows their CORE customer base the ones that have always owned a pickup .. the real question is does he know the AVERAGE pickup owner anymore.

Only time will tell us of course, but i suspect all of those ex suv owners and station wagon owners that now drive pickups don't care about ford or chevy... a locking cover on that bed... now THAT they care about... a full 6' bed that they will never use yep they care.

8) just my 2 thoughts.. my experience is that all execs believe they know their customers.. however the longer they are in their job the less they know the ACTUAL customers.

 

[Chris9702L]

The Electric Viking did a video of a mass of F150 people not actually buying the truck. I have a reservation for a Silverado that I won’t use if the Cybertruck is reasonably priced.

 

[SolarWizard]

Any press is good press

 

[BayouCityBob]

Farley will be selling Calvin peeing on CyberTruck stickers soon. Denigrating rival truck brands is a time honored tradition. Remember when Chevy called Ford owners pussies for their "Man Step"??? At least until Silverado came out with their own.

Totally different. Ford man step, Chevy man ledge (a ledge is way, way more manly).

 

[CyberGus]

Any press is good press

Especially a gigapress

 

[WildhavenMI]

8) just my 2 thoughts.. my experience is that all execs believe they know their customers.. however the longer they are in their job the less they know the ACTUAL customers.

As a (former) auto-industry marketing professional, I can tell you the following are statements of fact:

• What the buying drivers are for vehicles is very well understood. In fact, frequently I know more about why someone is purchasing a specific vehicle than they do.
• Brand loyalty is also well understood, as are how it translates into repeat brand buyers and value (in terms of pricing/cost effective retention).
• What breaks brand loyalty is also very well understood, and the majority of the time a buyer is disloyal is price and perceived value. I.e., they don't feel like they're getting the best, or what they're paying for.

The CT poses a marketing challenge for Ford and every other 1/2 ton OEM in that it likely threatens both major loyalty drivers. If CT is price competitive (or price-superior) AND delivers significantly more perceived value...well, that's a nearly impossible combination to play defense against.

This is exactly how RAM became the size it is now, and how it will dethrone GM for #2 very soon (if it hasn't already in Q2).

 

[Rutrow]

Totally different. Ford man step, Chevy man ledge (a ledge is way, way more manly).

Allegedly

 

[greggertruck]

He was further quoted saying...

"When you get out into that big world, you're gonna find , that your Cybertruck doesn't amount, to DIDDLY SQUAT!"

and...

"Elon, I wish you'd just shut your BIG YAPPER!"

FOR REAL?! Man... horrible timing on these statements. hahaha

 

[Neo]

Via Electrek

Ford CEO Jim Farley dismissed Tesla Cybertruck as “a cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel” rather than “a truck for real people.”

"Real People want to be able to tow more than 120 miles... I couldn't even tow from Tucson to Flagstaff without hijacking someone's outlet... Farley lives in a van down by the river...

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