Things are happening in America. Ford announced a collaboration with Tesla, as they will fully transition to Tesla's charging connector NACS in the United States, allowing Ford customers to use Tesla Superchargers. However, during an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC, the CEO of Ford made some rather harsh remarks that Elon Musk won't appreciate.
Is it just banter that can’t be avoided?
Banter or competitive battle, who knows? Anyway, Jim Farley, who heads Ford Motor Company, stated during the interview that he is not worried about Elon Musk’s pickup truck (Tesla Cybertruck) deterring customers from his company. He added that America loves underdogs but when it comes to electric trucks and vans, Ford understands these customers better than anyone else.
“If (Musk) wants to design the Cybertruck for people in Silicon Valley, fine. It’s like a fancy high-end product parked in front of a hotel. But I don’t manufacture trucks like that. I manufacture trucks for real people who do real work, and that’s a different kind of truck,” said Farley.
Photo by Tesla Cybertruck
Cooperation driven more by obligation than desire
Regarding the agreement between Ford and Tesla regarding the accessibility of Tesla Supercharger fast-charging stations, the CEO of Ford stated that during negotiations, Musk showed more respect towards Henry Ford than Jim Cramer, and that the outcome is primarily beneficial for Ford’s customers. What can be said about it? It’s obvious that there is no friendly relationship brewing between the two gentlemen who lead competing automotive companies.
The customers will ultimately decide who can manufacture a better electric pickup truck. During the first quarter of this year, Ford sold 4,291 units of the F-150 Lightning in the American market, totaling over 20,000 vehicles sold since production began in April of last year. On the other hand, the Tesla Cybertruck is not even in production yet and is expected to commence by the end of this year. With over 1.5 million pre-orders already placed, expectations are quite high.
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