Photo: rickster902 via Cybertruck Owners Club | Edited
After taking a bow before Elon Musk and negotiating NACS adoption, Ford CEO Jim Farley wanted to show "who's the boss" by calling the Cybertruck "a truck for Silicon Valley people." Farley also minimized the Supercharger deal, saying Ford already had an extensive charging network.
Ford was the first carmaker to partner with Tesla and adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) at the end of May. The announcement stunned everyone and set the stage for other carmakers to jump on the bandwagon. I'm sure this was a team effort, and Elon Musk repeatedly praised Jim Farley for his vision regarding electric vehicles. Still, Ford CEO refused to play nice, and, in a recent CNBC interview, he mocked the Cybertruck and tried to minimize the importance of the deal.
Speaking with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Farley said the Supercharger deal with Tesla was "opportunistic," and he didn't hesitate to strike it because it advantaged Ford customers. Farley also mentioned the "extensive charging network" that Ford had before the Tesla deal and somehow complained that Musk was respectful but "more because of Henry Ford than Jim Farley." From there, Farley became arrogant, dismissing the Cybertruck as a truck "for Silicon Valley people" and Silicon Valley people as "not real people."
"If he wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine. It's like a cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel," said Farley. "But I don't make trucks like that. I make trucks for real people who do real work, and that's a different kind of truck."
These are harsh words from someone who needs Tesla more than Tesla needs him or Ford. The Blue Oval is losing a lot of money on its Model E subsidiary tasked with producing electric vehicles. Tesla might build the Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, but there's nothing wrong with that. Many truck customers never cared about putting the vehicle to work on a ranch but love the idea and form factor of a truck. I'm sure Farley would love Silicon Valley people to consider one of his pickups, though I doubt they would like how he sees them.
The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to start production in the coming months, with a delivery event planned for September. There are 1.5 million reservation holders for Tesla's pickup truck, and even if a small portion of them will place an order, the Giga Texas production line will be busy for many years. If those are all Silicon Valley people, Farley has nothing to worry about. But if some are "real people who do real work," Ford might see its lucrative truck business wiped out.
Tesla might have a bad history of delayed launches, and the Cybertruck makes no exception. But it's also a manufacturing powerhouse, and when it starts production, it never stops ramping up. Tesla is also known for setting up a gigafactory in record time and producing EVs at scale and cost, something that no other carmaker, especially Ford, can match.
Speaking with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Farley said the Supercharger deal with Tesla was "opportunistic," and he didn't hesitate to strike it because it advantaged Ford customers. Farley also mentioned the "extensive charging network" that Ford had before the Tesla deal and somehow complained that Musk was respectful but "more because of Henry Ford than Jim Farley." From there, Farley became arrogant, dismissing the Cybertruck as a truck "for Silicon Valley people" and Silicon Valley people as "not real people."
"If he wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine. It's like a cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel," said Farley. "But I don't make trucks like that. I make trucks for real people who do real work, and that's a different kind of truck."
These are harsh words from someone who needs Tesla more than Tesla needs him or Ford. The Blue Oval is losing a lot of money on its Model E subsidiary tasked with producing electric vehicles. Tesla might build the Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, but there's nothing wrong with that. Many truck customers never cared about putting the vehicle to work on a ranch but love the idea and form factor of a truck. I'm sure Farley would love Silicon Valley people to consider one of his pickups, though I doubt they would like how he sees them.
The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to start production in the coming months, with a delivery event planned for September. There are 1.5 million reservation holders for Tesla's pickup truck, and even if a small portion of them will place an order, the Giga Texas production line will be busy for many years. If those are all Silicon Valley people, Farley has nothing to worry about. But if some are "real people who do real work," Ford might see its lucrative truck business wiped out.
Tesla might have a bad history of delayed launches, and the Cybertruck makes no exception. But it's also a manufacturing powerhouse, and when it starts production, it never stops ramping up. Tesla is also known for setting up a gigafactory in record time and producing EVs at scale and cost, something that no other carmaker, especially Ford, can match.
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