Ford CEO Jim Farley Calls Out Tesla CEO During F-150 Lightning Presentation

3 years ago Iqtidar Ali 0 Comments
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Ford President and CEO Jim Farley recently threw a friendly jab at Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a company presentation where he was talking about the company’s electric pickup truck F-150 Lightning. “Take that Elon Musk,” he said at the end of his talk.

Of course, this wouldn’t hide from the Tesla community and a short video clip was posted on Twitter, where Musk responded in a similar fashion saying, “Thanks, but I already have one.”

Jim most probably knew that this would catch Musk and the Tesla community’s attention and he would get some unpaid advertising, and might even convert some Cybertruck reservation holders to F-150 Lightnings.

This is what Farley stated during his speech:

“We are really on a mission at Ford to lead an electric and digital revolution for many, not few. And I have to say the shining light for us at Ford is this beautiful Lightning made right down the road in Dearborn, right here in the state of Michigan, already the leader of all EV pickup trucks in our industry in the United States.”

Ford has sold 4,400 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks year to date, a figure the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker released earlier this week.

Claiming a leadership position with this number is not necessarily a good idea for Ford because Rivian is also ramping up production of its R1T EV pickup truck. Rivian had produced 6,954 R1T pickup and R1S SUVs in the first half of 2022, but the automaker has not separately reported the R1T numbers — it’s estimated that at least 5,000 R1Ts have been sold year to date.

Other automakers have also mocked Elon Musk and Tesla in the past, but they have been unsuccessful at beating Tesla in making more EVs.

Hyundai once bought ad spaces for the Kona EV SUV and its sign boards stated “your turn, Elon.” But the Tesla Model Y has been a superb success that has outsold the Kona EV many times over.

Most probably, Farley’s statement will not age well. Tesla Cybertruck production is starting next year (2023) and Tesla has around 1 million pre-orders for it from around the globe.

Tesla is preparing for Cybertruck production at its Giga Texas plant and has acquired the world’s largest 9,000-ton giga casting machine for the purpose. The giga casting method will save Tesla time and resources, which will ultimately speed up production that Ford and Rivian will feel.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Originally published on Tesla Oracle.

Featured image courtesy of Ford.

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Iqtidar Ali

Iqtidar Ali writes for X Auto about Tesla and electric vehicles. A true car enthusiast since his childhood, he covers his stories with an utmost passion, which is now guided by the mission towards sustainability. He also writes about tech stuff at UXTechPlus.com occasionally. Iqtidar can easily be reached on Twitter @IqtidarAlii (DM open for tips, feedback or a friendly message) or via email: iqtidar@xautoworld.com.

Iqtidar Ali has 165 posts and counting. See all posts by Iqtidar Ali