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

[Diehard]

The only real people in the eyes of these companies are the ones paying for the truck regardless of their label (life style, worker, …). I am as unreal as it gets (I really don’t need a big truck) but I got one. I think there will be enough real and unreal people willing to pay for CT. Ford is worried about how many.

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[ÆCIII]

those are things lifestyle people use..

Real people only use power tools. If all plugs on the truck arent being used at once, youre not using it like a real worker

I was referring to contractor type (real) 'work', not DIY weekender glamour hobbies. But the power tools would be in the vault or other concealed storage as applicable anyway.

Power tools are only for talk if no real materials are involved.

- ÆCIII

 

[kbolt]

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.

I think I have the same shirt as the guy in the second video. Got it at Express. Didn't realize that was a "manly man's" store

 

[scottf200]

So, I just wanna see if im understanding your post. You think, because the truck was built with. function over form in mind, causing it to be durable and oddly shaped, it will only be a lifestyle vehicle?

You posted a bunch of pictures of stuff the CT will likely be able to do too. Why wouldnt they be able to carry things or plug things in?

I guess im confused. Just because we dont have a bunch of accessories now, doesnt mean we wont. I mean, look at all tesla accessories. That is a huge market. Why would it be different for CT?

And if the CT is cheaper + qualifies for tax incentives. Wouldnt that make it MORE useful?

It is unclear what you mean by function. I was talking about functional and you are talking SS and aero. Those are not as critical for work trucks that drive shorter distances at slower speeds. The work trucks get banged up some but there are 100s of 100,000s of Ford F150 work trucks and fleet orders based on what accessories and functionality they provide. AFAIK the Ford truck bodies are not rusting out like they did before the massive body change.

The tailgate is stupid and not functional. Ford and others listened to their users and have reiterative designs over many decades. The customer didn't want to drive up a quad on a ridiculously steep ramp.

I'm sure it will be able to plug things in. To me that's a silly statement. I pointed out how many plugs of which types and what kW. Those are important things for a work truck in construction, welding, etc.

Of course, over time there will be accessories. How much time and how many variations?

We don't know about the Frunk. I honestly believe the delay has give the Tesla CT a lot of time to see what the competitor is doing and they are copying many things ... ie. rear wheel steering and 'mega' frunk.

Tesla goofy coy stance with not expanding on details so people faun over every silly detail is tiresome. Uh ah ... what's next with a windshield wiper. How exciting. It is silly Spec are still from 2019.

Sorry ... just tired of all the leeway we give Tesla on the CT. I still think it is more lifestyle than a work truck. I don't think there is a chance that they'll take over the big boys in this arena. This ain't no sedan or CUV.

Yes, I'm still leaning toward a CT but having NACS will give a LOT of people a different perspective for a Ford, GM, Rivian etc for those wanting a work truck and a family vacation hauler.

 

[rudedawg78]

The only real people in the eyes of these companies are the ones paying for the truck regardless of their label (life style, worker, …). I am as unreal as it gets (I really don’t need a big truck) but I got one. I think there will be enough real and unreal people willing to pay for CT. Ford is worried about how many.

Am I in the matrix right now? All this talk about real and unreal people is throwing me for a loop.

 

[cbrtrckrsrvd112219]

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.”

Will he eat his words?

During an interview with CNBC, Farley appeared to want to distance Ford from Tesla a bit after his company agreed to adopt Tesla’s NACS connector.

He described the move as an “opportunistic” one to increase access to charging for Ford customers, but he claimed that Ford’s charging network was already extensive before that.

The CEO was asked about the imminent launch of the Tesla Cybertruck and he seemed unimpressed.

Farley said about the Cybertruck:

Those are harsh words for Tesla’s first offering in the important and highly profitable pickup market in the US.

Let's revisit this statement in one year and see how well it ages!
Usually these kind of things dont age well and lots of people will be happy to quote Farley next year.

The only reason I looked at F150 EV as stop gap until Cybertruck will ship. But ridiculous starting at $70+K pricing is a show stopper.
The only model that sells at some volume level is ~65K Pro model that being purchased mostly by electric utilities companies who want to show their commitment to EV and have no other truck choice but F150 EV. The moment Cybertruck hits market at relatively similar price range, utilities will drop Ford as a rock.

 

[Gurule92]

It is unclear what you mean by function. I was talking about functional and you are talking SS and aero. Those are not as critical for work trucks that drive shorter distances at slower speeds. The work trucks get banged up some but there are 100s of 100,000s of Ford F150 work trucks and fleet orders based on what accessories and functionality they provide. AFAIK the Ford truck bodies are not rusting out like they did before the massive body change.

I'm sure it will be able to plug things in. To me that's a silly statement. I pointed out how many plugs of which types and what kW. Those are important things for a work truck in construction, welding, etc.

Of course, over time there will be accessories. How much time and how many variations?

We don't know about the Frunk. I honestly believe the delay has give the Tesla CT a lot of time to see what the competitor is doing and they are copying many things ... ie. rear wheel steering and 'mega' frunk.

Tesla goofy coy stance with not expanding on details so people faun over every silly detail is tiresome. Uh ah ... what's next with a windshield wiper. How exciting. It is silly Spec are still from 2019.

Sorry ... just tired of all the leeway we give Tesla on the CT. I still think it is more lifestyle than a work truck. I don't think there is a chance that they'll take over the big boys in this arena. This ain't no sedan or CUV.

Yes, I'm still leaning toward a CT but having NACS will give a LOT of people a different perspective for a Ford, GM, Rivian etc for those wanting a work truck and a family vacation hauler.

I dont think anyone thinks that the CT is going to dethrone the f150, they have like 100 versions. But because we dont know the final specs, like number of plugs etc. we cant really pass judgement on the usability of the truck. The SS will be useful for work trucks because dings, also, aero would matter to a work truck because you are planning to use the plugs and therefore need the energy. the more aero you have, the less power you use on the way to the job site right? Just because it isnt something obvious that has been focused on, doesnt mean that it isnt useful to that demographic.

Who is wondering about the BAW still? We are BAWs deep! There is no turning back.

The extra time that tesla took to figure out the playing field is exactly what the advantage will be. They are taking all the useful features and putting them in CT. Just like apple does with phones. It's a winning strategy.

I think on the work truck front, the CT will have plenty of uses.

I am as tired as the next guy of waiting. but can we really make blanket statements about usability if we dont know all the details?

If the CT is cheaper than the lightning and has specs comparable (or better) then it will be used as a work truck. a lot

 

[TPEdwards]

What I constantly think about is paint. How many pickup owners treat their truck like a piece of art because they don't want to scratch the paint? My brothers-in-law each have a pickup (southern Indiana). They treat them like babies. Wash at least every other week and keep them spotless. They rarely carry things in them. But they don't commute to offices. Pickups are what most of their peers drive. They would wince about taking it somewhere where it MIGHT get scratched. My Cybertruck? Heck, don't have to worry about paint.

 

[Gurule92]

Am I in the matrix right now? All this talk about real and unreal people is throwing me for a loop.

you were never not in the matrix

 

[WildhavenMI]

90% of these arguments will become resolved and clear once we know two things:

1) Price
2) Availability/volume produced

Lifestyle vs "work" vs fleet, all that is quibbling over 10% of the sales equation. The value perception is already generated in a core audience, and will primarily be driven deeper into undecideds and conquest buyers by #s 1 and 2 above before anything else.

The opinion of the worksite crew about the CT won't change until there are CTs on the worksite. If there are early adopters exposing the audience, and the experience is positive, and the other people at the worksite can actually afford the vehicle - they'll sell as many as they can ramp up to make.

If something in the above equation goes wrong, or if the price point isn't there, well...

 

[Gurule92]

I was referring to contractor type (real) 'work', not DIY weekender glamour hobbies. But the power tools would be in the vault or other concealed storage as applicable anyway.

Power tools are only for talk if no real materials are involved.

- ÆCIII

Lol I guess the sarcasm in my post didn't come across.

Fixed

 

[scottf200]

What I constantly think about is paint. How many pickup owners treat their truck like a piece of art because they don't want to scratch the paint? My brothers-in-law each have a pickup (southern Indiana). They treat them like babies. Wash at least every other week and keep them spotless. They rarely carry things in them. But they don't commute to offices. Pickups are what most of their peers drive. They would wince about taking it somewhere where it MIGHT get scratched. My Cybertruck? Heck, don't have to worry about paint.

TBH, this is something that resonates with me and a byproduct of the "heavy" SS they are using. While I don't wash my vehicle a lot, I did put Paint protection film (PPF) on my current and prev Tesla as I do a lot of road-tripping and I am reasonably careful where I park because I don't want dents/dings. In many places you park you don't have a lot of choices ... some trailheads, most city parking lots, etc, etc.

 

[Baldey]

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.

While i originally posted due to a misunderstanding (i did not read the trucks part, at first) , i kept it because i still feel the guy's drinking his own cool-aid, like a good CEO. Ford sold 13,258 lightnings in 2022, and this year's quarterly lumbers are down. Not like they really have the demand anyway, with only 150k orders. Maybe if they had a better product..

Electric pickups have barely been a thing for two years, when Rivian won the race in 2021. They sold 24,337 pickups last year, double Ford. So, he's wrong on that point..

Van numbers are a bit harder to find, but why are we talking about vans and tesla? Ford sold 6,500 e-vans, and i do believe that is a record.. but maybe not a very exciting one.

These are rookie numbers, in a new market. We don't know where tesla will land here... but im willing to bet they will beat rivian's next year's delivery numbers, in their first year of production. Maybe im the one being delusional now, but aren't we all?

William Shakespeare — 'When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.'

 

[scottf200]

I'm really curious if anyone thinks the Tesla slanted stubby ramp qualifies it as a statistically reasonable tailgate or just a odd gimmick. Certainly it would not be useful at the majority of work sites or for many other practical uses.

Here are three articles and many picture/iterations of what these companies with decades of feedback from customers have implemented.

What is a Tailgate on a Truck?
A truck’s tailgate is the entrance to the truck bed. But the tailgate can serve many different purposes, from a pregame party area during football season to an outdoor workstation. The tailgate also serves as a step stool, an aid to help load and unload cargo, and a measuring tool. It can also hold coffee cups or speakers for music, and much more, depending on what your truck comes with or what you add on when you make the purchase.

Manufacturers try to one-up each other by offering different functionality in the tailgate department.

https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/tailgate-on-trucks/

https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...ures-ranked-chevrolet-ford-gmc-honda-and-ram/

https://www.motortrend.com/features/tailgate-wars-ram-vs-gmc-vs-ford/

 

[azjohn]

My guess is Farley is concerned once CT starts being delivered it will take away some market share which Ford can’t afford since their truck line is the only thing keeping their head above water. Doing the deal with Tesla was needed otherwise the Ford Owners who were getting tired of their charging system could possibly jump ship. It’s a joke when Farley says Fords charging network is sufficient. The only reason any of the car companies are adopting NACS is to have access to the Supercharging network which is Teslas biggest advantage

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