Jim Farley Tries to Reinvent Ford and Catch As much as Elon Musk and Tesla

Auto consultants say the electrical F-150, often known as the Lightning, should be successful if Ford is to thrive within the age of electrical autos. Introducing this truck now could be equal to “betting the corporate,” mentioned William C. Ford Jr., the corporate’s govt chairman, who’s a great-grandson of Henry Ford. “If this launch doesn’t go nicely, we are able to tarnish your entire franchise.”

The corporate has amassed about 200,000 reservations for the vans, however it might nonetheless stumble. Manufacturing may very well be slowed by the worldwide chip scarcity or the surging prices of lithium, nickel and different uncooked supplies essential to batteries. The software program that Ford has developed for the truck may very well be flawed, an issue that hampered sales of a new electric Volkswagen in 2020.

Ford and Mr. Farley do have some issues going for them. Not like many different electrical vehicles, the F-150 Lightning is comparatively inexpensive — it begins at $40,000. Tesla’s most cost-effective automotive is the compact Mannequin 3 sedan, which begins at greater than $48,000. The Lightning has tons of storage, together with a large entrance trunk, which is interesting to households and companies with massive truck fleets. And it helps that Tesla will not begin making its Cybertruck until next year.

And Ford can also be already within the E.V. recreation with the Mustang Mach-E, an electrical sport utility automobile. It had gross sales of greater than 27,000 in 2021, its first 12 months in the marketplace, and received favorable opinions.

Manufacturing of the F-150 Lightning is scheduled to start out subsequent Monday. Competing fashions from Basic Motors, Stellantis and Toyota — Ford’s principal rivals in pickups — are not less than a 12 months away. Rivian, a more moderen producer that Ford has invested in, has begun promoting an electrical truck however is struggling to extend manufacturing.

“If the Lightning launch goes nicely, we now have an infinite alternative,” Mr. Ford mentioned.

‘Jimmy Automotive-Automotive’

In some ways, Mr. Farley checks a lot of the bins with regards to main a big U.S. automaker. Like Mary T. Barra, the chief govt of G.M., whose father used to work on a Pontiac meeting line, Mr. Farley has household roots within the trade: His grandfather labored at a Ford manufacturing unit. On visits to his grandfather, he would tour Ford vegetation and different websites necessary to the corporate’s historical past. As a 15-year-old, he purchased a Mustang whereas working in California one summer time and drove it dwelling to Michigan with no license. His grandfather nicknamed him “Jimmy Automotive-Automotive.”

However like Mr. Musk, a local of South Africa who was a founding father of PayPal and different corporations, Mr. Farley has had a diversified profession and been concerned in creating companies. Born in Argentina when his father was working there as a banker, Mr. Farley, 59, additionally lived in Brazil and Canada when he was rising up. His profession began not within the auto trade however at IBM. He spent a long stretch at Toyota. He helped the Japanese automaker overcome its status for making boring and economical vehicles by engaged on its fledgling Lexus luxurious model, now a powerhouse.