Ford CEO Says Racing Tech Will End Up In Retail Vehicles

January 19, 2024 11:55 am

As Ford Authority previously reported, Ford Performance – the automaker’s performance and motorsports-related entity – is currently focused on developing what it calls EV demonstrators, which are one-off all-electric vehicles that push the proverbial envelope such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400, Ford SuperVan, and the Ford Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800, but not full-blown racing prototypes. However, FoMoCo has also made it quite clear that its racing efforts – which are vastly expanding in 2024 and beyond with a line of new Ford Mustang Dark Horse-based racers and a partnership with Red Bull Oracle Racing in Formula 1 – will also help it develop its future road-going models, too. During Ford Performance’s recent 2024 motorsports season preview event, CEO Jim Farley reiterated that desire yet again.

“We want to be in the race car business of selling cars,” Farley said. “And that’s going to connect to our products. We have a Raptor because we raced at Baja. That is exactly the model. We would not have a [Mustang] GTD if we weren’t going to Le Mans. That is the model for Ford. Our R&D for future vehicles will be on the racetrack. And you will be able to buy them at Ford. And that is really what the circle is all about in our business of racing.”

These comments come on the heels of Farley’s admission that the automaker is done making “boring” cars, which the CEO admits haven’t historically been big profit generators for the company. On the flip side, specialty models like the Ford Explorer ST have long been solid money makers.

In fact, we’re already starting to see Farley’s vision come to life with the debut of the new Mustang GTD – a motorsports-derived road car that offers up extreme performance with an extreme $300k price tag – as well as the new electronic drift brake feature available in the 2024 Mustang that was developed in conjunction with RTR Vehicles. FoMoCo also teamed up with RTR to create the just-revealed Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear EV demonstrator as well, yet another vehicle born out of a motorsports partnership.

We’ll have more on Ford’s future strategy soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.