Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley said the Detroit automaker is committed to delivering 600,000 all-electric vehicles within the next 22 months.
Farley, who has spearheaded Ford’s commitment to transitioning to electric vehicles, joined Fox Business this morning ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden later today. Farley, along with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, will meet with the President and several other CEOs from various industries later today.
In a lofty goal commitment, Farley stated that Ford would deliver 600,000 new electric cars to customers in less than two years because the American automotive industry is in desperate need to “catch up.”
Farley mentioned how China and Europe, two leading electric vehicle markets, have incredible demand for EVs. In some European markets, like Norway, combustion engine vehicles are hard to come by, as electric powertrains dominate the country’s passenger market.
“We have to catch up,” Farley said in an interview with Grady Trimble. “We’re going to do the investment in the product and capacity expansion and make vehicles as affordable as possible. We need the government’s help to make the switch to e-mobility through consumer incentives.”
President Biden has specific EV incentives listed in his Build Back Better plan, but it is having a hard time making it through the Senate after the House of Representatives passed the bill on November 19. However, Senator Joe Manchin has not supported the bill due to massive budgetary issues. It needs support from all 50 Democratic senators, which seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, Farley and Ford are committed to an electrified future. Recently, Farley increased the production plans for the F-150 Lightning by boosting production goals to 150,000 units per year. Initial projections were for around 40,000 units annually. This was doubled to 80,000 per year in September and essentially doubled again in early January to 150,000.
One year after Ford confirmed construction of the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich., the first Ford F-150 Lightning pre-production units begin leaving the factory. Pre-production model shown. F-150 Lightning available starting spring 2022.
Farley does not feel that the massive goal for deliveries in just 22 months is out of reach, especially as Ford has leveraged the names of its most iconic models to help surge sales of its newfound electrification project. “I think we’re one of the first to scale. We’re committed to 600,000 units in 22 months from now,” Farley said in the interview. “What makes us different is we’re electrifying our most iconic vehicles where we sell the best.” The Mustang Mach-E accumulated 27,140 sales in 2021, making it the second best-selling model in its class, trailing only the Tesla Model Y.
Ford is also utilizing the solid consumer base behind the F-150, which has been the nation’s best-selling pickup truck for several years. The F-150 Lightning, which Ford recently opened order banks for, has several different trim options, all of which sport iconic packages that have been included with the combustion engine version.
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