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Bill Ford Jr. Explains Why Tesla Succeeded, It's Not Thanks to Elon Musk

Bill Ford Jr. is the Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company. He’s one of the most important corporate figures in the automotive world and is considered by many as the gatekeeper of the Michigan-based carmaker. Here’s his experience with Tesla and why he doesn’t attribute the EV success to Elon Musk.
Bill Ford Jr. 6 photos
Photo: WXYZ-TV Detroit on YouTube
Ford Mustang Mach-EBill Ford Jr.Bill Ford Jr.Elon MuskTesla Model S
EVs are the hot topic on everyone’s mind right now. Companies are scrambling to introduce as many cars as possible, and huge investments are pouring into new plants and battery factories. There’s also a noiseless race to achieve efficiency, power and range balance, and better profit margins. The global car industry of today is like a beehive with many separate sectors but a common goal: create the perfect product.

With this in mind, it’s the perfect occasion to find out what one of the most important people in this dynamic world thinks about the push towards electrification and its competition.

Ford’s Executive Chairman said in a podcast with Jason Stein that he knew Tesla before Elon Musk when the CEO was Martin Eberhard. Back then, their only car was a Lotus-derived electric sports car. Bill Ford Jr. said he saw the vehicle and thought that it couldn't amount to something important very fast, but the way Tesla was preparing for business got his attention. The fit and finish weren’t very good, but the small car was “a blast to drive.”

Unfortunately, other Ford decision-makers weren’t so keen to hear him out.

He continues and points out that Tesla got away with a major head start. “Tesla had the playing field all for themselves for quite some time because the OEMs across the industry just had their eyes closed,” Ford Jr. told the host.

The man adds that it wasn’t just “Detroit arrogance” that left Tesla alone to do its own thing without any real competition, but also ignorance coming from Japan and Europe.

Ford Jr. also considers that the big four (Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Ford) focused on research in the wrong direction. And he’s right if we look at how Tesla grew over the years and how other carmakers are currently looking like they’re just beginning their EV journey.

Still, no word of Elon Musk in Ford’s Executive Chairman answers. He thinks that the absence of the legacy automakers is what guaranteed a clean win for Tesla.

But things might change sooner rather than later. The EV offensive started by European and American carmakers might create some issues for the company that managed to sell its cars as statements of progress, simplicity, and practicality with no downsides for the air we breathe. With increasing prices, competition inches closer and closer.

Finally, Bill Ford Jr. is confident now that his company has all it needs to leave Tesla behind and win the EV race. It’s hard to imagine this will happen soon, as Ford has only one working, mass-produced EV: the Mustang Mach-E. The F-150 Lightning and the E-Transit van are not yet as popular or ready to be delivered to paying customers. Meanwhile, Tesla and even Rivian are not stopping.

There could be a different winner in the future. But when it comes to today’s EVs and the possible outlook for the next half of the decade, Elon Musk’s Tesla won’t be bothered.

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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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