In an earnings call with analysts in 2018, Dearborn-based automaker Ford (F) made a drastic decision that would dramatically change the course of its history. At the time, CEO Jim Farley was not at the helm, but he would co-sign a move that trickled into his tenure as the company’s top executive.
Farley agreed that Ford would discontinue making passenger cars for the United States market, except for the Mustang, to recover from declining profits tied to autos experiencing lower demand.
This move saw Ford transform from a company selling a diverse selection of compact hatchbacks, sedans, crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks to one that only sells pickup trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and the Mustang.
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In response to a question from UBS Analyst Colin Langan during the call, Farley detailed his goals.
“We’ll have more authentic off-roaders, building our Built Ford Tough background like Bronco and other new nameplates we don’t sell today. We will refresh our entire lineup of traditional crossovers and SUVs that everyone knows, like Explorer and Escape,” Farley said at the time.
“We’re going to be introducing and taking capital and redeploying it for new silhouettes, products that give customers the utility benefits without the penalty of fuel economy. And they will be performance and actively executed, so they’ll be very emotional.”
Ford’s CEO wants Ford to rival Porsche
During his tenure as Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley helped build the Blue Oval into a go-to performance brand.
In recent years, it has provided customers with a range of different performance models of its popular cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, including the F-150, Ranger and Bronco Raptor models, the Mustang Mach-E Rally and the ultra-limited-edition Mustang GTD.
In a feature for Automotive News at the Detroit Auto Show, Farley expressed his desire to increase the brand’s presence in the off-road vehicle market.
The brand’s off-roaders already account for 20 percent of the roughly 2 million vehicles sold last year. However, he has even higher aspirations.
“Ford wants to be the No. 1 undisputed off-road brand in the world,” Farley told Automotive News. “We want to be the Porsche of off-road.”
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According to the latest sales data, Ford’s marquee off-road vehicle, the high-riding, retro-styled Bronco SUV, is still eclipsed in sales numbers by its Stellantis (STLA) -owned rival, the iconic Jeep Wrangler.
As per their respective automakers, Jeep moved 151,164 Wranglers in 2024, a year mired by controversy and turmoil for its parent company. At the same time, Ford managed to move 109,172 Broncos off of dealer lots and into enthusiasts’ hands.
While Stellantis and Jeep may eclipse Ford in sales, Farley and other Ford executives believe Ford has the upper hand over its rival. Ford actively participates as a factory-supported team in some of the world’s toughest and most prestigious off-road motorsports events.
Recently, it participated in the Dakar Rally, a grueling off-road, multi-day cross-country event in Saudi Arabia.
“We do see a huge opportunity there,” Ford Advanced Product Development VP Jim Baumbick told AN. “It’s also this reinforcement of the role motorsports plays as a complement to some of these vehicle programs. We’re racing at Dakar not only to race; we’re racing to learn, improve the product and feed that back into our product development to advance our capabilities.”
Related: Ford CEO says he’s sick and tired of making ‘boring’ cars
Ford’s CEO isn’t interested in making “boring cars”
This is far from the first time that Farley or any other Ford executive has expressed a need to prioritize more aspirational and niche performance cars.
In a September 2024 interview with CAR magazine, the Ford CEO emphasized a need to make cars that help boost the brand’s image to its customers.
“We’re getting out of the boring-car business and into the iconic-vehicle business,” Farley told the magazine.
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