Photo: Ford Motor Company
Ford's Chief Executive Officer, Jim Farley, has told Blue Oval employees that Tesla can no longer be ignored. The move comes just weeks after Volkswagen's CEO, Herbert Diess, presented Tesla Motors as a positive example to his employees.
During a meeting that was described as having a positive tone, Jim Farley praised Tesla for its easy configuration tool, simple pricing strategy, and way of handling things directly. Likewise, Ford's CEO has described the battery of Tesla models as being "better" while saying that "their customers pay less" for it (the battery).
Jim Farley has also noted that Tesla has differentiated its products from those made by the other vehicle manufacturers, as The Detroit Free Press reports. Mind you, Tesla was not the only brand praised by Farley, as the CEO of the Ford Motor Company had good things to say about Rivian as well.
In the case of Rivian, Jim Farley noted that the company has already begun delivering its electric pickup truck, despite being a startup. This goes to show that Tesla is making big waves in the industry, and all legacy vehicle manufacturers are taking notes.
As you may remember, Herbert Diess, Volkswagen's CEO, even invited Elon Musk to dial into a company executive meeting. While getting noticed and praised by the CEOs of Volkswagen and Ford might not be an achievement for Elon Musk today, it is a big deal that this is happening outside of closed boardrooms.
Interestingly, Ford's CEO has also spoken about Volkswagen to his employees, as the German company is the world's second-largest EV manufacturer. Yes, just behind Tesla Motors. It is obvious where the head of the Blue Oval was going with this point.
Usually, vehicle manufacturers, as well as large corporations, prefer to keep competitor analysis to themselves. Moreover, whenever a competitor's product is doing well on the market, it is uncustomary to praise it in public, even if the audience is composed of employees.
Even with just an employee-only audience, anything you say can and will be used against you (pun intended). In the case of Farley's speech, this goes to show that the leaders of the world's biggest vehicle manufacturers are not blindsided by the corporations they lead and can keep a keen eye on the market.
Jim Farley has also noted that Tesla has differentiated its products from those made by the other vehicle manufacturers, as The Detroit Free Press reports. Mind you, Tesla was not the only brand praised by Farley, as the CEO of the Ford Motor Company had good things to say about Rivian as well.
In the case of Rivian, Jim Farley noted that the company has already begun delivering its electric pickup truck, despite being a startup. This goes to show that Tesla is making big waves in the industry, and all legacy vehicle manufacturers are taking notes.
As you may remember, Herbert Diess, Volkswagen's CEO, even invited Elon Musk to dial into a company executive meeting. While getting noticed and praised by the CEOs of Volkswagen and Ford might not be an achievement for Elon Musk today, it is a big deal that this is happening outside of closed boardrooms.
Interestingly, Ford's CEO has also spoken about Volkswagen to his employees, as the German company is the world's second-largest EV manufacturer. Yes, just behind Tesla Motors. It is obvious where the head of the Blue Oval was going with this point.
Usually, vehicle manufacturers, as well as large corporations, prefer to keep competitor analysis to themselves. Moreover, whenever a competitor's product is doing well on the market, it is uncustomary to praise it in public, even if the audience is composed of employees.
Even with just an employee-only audience, anything you say can and will be used against you (pun intended). In the case of Farley's speech, this goes to show that the leaders of the world's biggest vehicle manufacturers are not blindsided by the corporations they lead and can keep a keen eye on the market.
Google News