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Ford CEO Jim Farley Says Company Will Be ‘Porsche Of Off-Road’

Over the past couple of years, Ford CEO Jim Farley has been adamant to remind us that the automaker isn’t in the business of building “boring” vehicles, or commodity-type products. Rather, Ford’s current focus is on fun models that offer up plenty of performance on or off paved roads, and it plans to vastly expand its offerings in that regard in the coming years, too. In fact, Farley has mentioned Porsche as an inspiration for The Blue Oval more than once lately, and now, he’s using that same analogy in a different sort of way.

A side view of the 2024 Ford Bronco Raptor.

“Ford wants to be the No. 1 undisputed off-road brand in the world,” Farley said at the Detroit Auto Show, according to Automotive News. “We want to be the Porsche of off-road.” Such a plan makes sense given the fact that off-road-focused vehicles accounted for around 20 percent of the automaker’s 2024 sales, and that comes as FoMoCo keeps expanding those types of offerings. In addition to the Ford F-150, Bronco, and Ranger Raptor models, The Blue Oval also reportedly plans to expand its Tremor line to most of its SUV/crossover lineup, too. Additionally, Ford is working to become a force in the world of off-road racing, scoring solid results at the King of the Hammers and Dakar Rally, most recently.

“We do see a huge opportunity there,” said Jim Baumbick, Ford’s vice president of advanced product development. “It’s also this reinforcement of the role motorsports plays as a complement to some of these vehicle programs. We’re racing at Dakar not only to race; we’re racing to learn, improve the product and feed that back into our product development to advance our capabilities. You see that same thing playing out with Mustang.”

Ford Ranger Raptor 2023 Tatts Finke Desert Race - Exterior 002 - Front Three Quarters

Last year, Ford reportedly showed off an off-road-focused version of the Mustang to dealers, perhaps previewing one of those future models. However, even if such a thing doesn’t come to fruition, Farley previously stated that the automaker’s Raptor program will have an influence on future products, regardless.

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.

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Comments

  1. I love hearing this. There is WAY too much boring in today’s auto industry.

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    1. I agree it BS the colors available on fords now are boring and very uninspiring. Quit pinching pennies to get every ounce of profit give a variety of colors and you solve the boring issue.

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  2. I’d like to see more off road vehicles, at affordable prices.

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  3. is there an update on the 2019 Ford fusion PHEV recall?

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  4. very weak interiors, features, very low quality (4.1 million recalls in 2024) the Ford management continues to be lunatic and without the slightest sense of reality, Jim Farley living further and further away from reality and the Ford family does nothing, allows the destruction of company!

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  5. Why not go ‘on road’ and market a snazzy 4 door car?

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    1. Ford will not allow Lincoln to have an updated LS sports sedan again so all we will get is another Mustang diluted to be the Mustang Town Car.

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  6. Farley needs to go. Hes so far out of touch as are most of his execs. That whole exec group should have to go work in dealerships and talk to the people for a couple months and learn what the people who buy their products actually care about. I think they currently take their focus groups from their coworkers rather than real buying customers.

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    1. 100% correct Sara!

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  7. Exactly so: lets get back to building great cars, too. Why leave an entire segment of the market for others to profit from? Ford has had its major successes with cars in the past, so why not shoot for that again? Right now, it seems, you can either do margin, or you can do volume. Why not sedans and wagons that people crave, and then you can get both!

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    1. … yeah, no boring anything. The matted color vehicle “wrap” must be going away …
      .

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    2. But would they sell well enough to not only recover the cost of engineering and development, but generate a profit that would justify the investment? I’m not so sure. That’s why they were dropped in the 1st place. A wagon done right might do the trick, but a normal sedan has largely become a dinosaur for most car makers in the US. SUV’s offer more overall utility, better visibility, mileage that is often near or above 30 mpg and better entry/exit especially for older adults. A sedan that could compete with the Japanese or European competitors that saturate the market is a tough ask.

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  8. We need a great car for on the road too heck he is driving around in a non offroad car praising it. But will not release one for the rest of us.

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  9. Why not build exotic cars and sports cars? BOSS 429 to kill the demon 170,FPC BOSS 351 with over 700hp N/A,9000 RPM,FORD GT 1500hp twin turbo 351,Torino with the COBRA Badges on it with 900hp, a 351 Lighting over 900hp, things like that will sell.

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  10. If the talked-about new small/mid-size van based on the Maverick comes to fruition and has some off-road capabilities, then that could add real distinction and spark to an otherwise ho-hum minivan segment. Camping, fishing, skiing, surfing, cruising the backcountry-ish, could all be possible with the right capabilities and be promoted as such across all age groups.

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  11. So Farley and Ford want to build more cars that are unaffordable aren’t the dealer lots full of vehicles that are not selling. Farley is intent on killing Ford and continuing to build cars nobody wants or can afford is accelerating the process.

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  12. I sure wish Ford would carry that off road compatible thought process through to their Transit line. I am a dirt bike rider who is on his second Transit now. I need a moto hauler that can get me and the bikes back to where the ruggedness is. Those little doughnut tires, and the ultra low ground clearance with no skid plates are a total joke to us off roaders. You now have all wheel drive, so please consider offering legitimate offroad Transit vans.

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  13. don’t hate luxury but they don’t even need to be luxury they just need to get the Job done

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  14. I am all for luxury. However, how about a new SUV, that just spent one month at the dealership? At this point I would just like to have luxury that also starts and runs.

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  15. If this is the case I hope Farley is well aware of the new RAM RHO…interior is flawless…and has 540 HP. FORD needs to knock the 2026 F150 Raptor our of the park..or RAM RHO will be the king of off-road!

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    1. RHO has 540 HP and the Raptor R has 720 it’s not even a competition

      Reply

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