It’s no secret that despite the best efforts of automakers in general, Tesla continues to command a sizable, dominant chunk of the all-electric vehicle market in general. Chinese EV makers are obviously posing the biggest threat to that business, and legacy U.S.-based automakers like Ford are making inroads as well. However, when it comes to commercial vehicles, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently likened Tesla’s dominance to its own position in the market.
With @FordPro, we’re giving our commercial customers the freedom of choice between gas, hybrid and electric vehicles. pic.twitter.com/XxsMpdc53U
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) August 30, 2024
“Ford is a trusted brand. So, for us, there’s no Tesla of commercial vehicles. Ford is really the Tesla,” Jim Farley stated in this video recently posted to X. “I think the customers really appreciate our charging solution and our software. I think the way we’re helping is just giving people the option of getting a Transit Custom and either electric or diesel or petrol versions, or a PHEV, like with the new Ranger. We just have a lot of option and choice. We are not forcing customers to pick one technology over the other. And of course our people at the dealerships really explain the benefits and the transition.”
Ford has long maintained that the commercial side of the business is quite different than the retail side, with those customers more eager to embrace EVs, but it continues to offer a variety of powertrain options, as Farley notes here. In terms of EVs, that list includes not only the popular Ford E-Transit, but also, the recently-launched E-Transit Custom, which is already winning over critics. At the same time, Ford is also working on developing a next-generation all-electric van, which will be built at the Ohio Assembly plant following its ongoing expansion.
We’ll have more on Ford’s commercial business soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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Now all that’s left is being profitable at it.