Over the past couple of years, Ford CEO Jim Farley has been adamant that he doesn’t want the automaker to produce and sell what he calls “boring” products moving forward. Farley – an enthusiast and part-time racer himself – sees Ford becoming more of a brand that fields a lineup of profitable performance-focused products rather than regular old commodities, a strategy that has attracted its fair share of supporters and also folks that don’t think it’s the best idea. Regardless, Jim Farley recently opted to double down on this mantra in a big, somewhat symbolic way.
Jim Farley recently updated his bio on the social media platform X, adding the hashtag #NoBoringProducts, in fact. Of course, this isn’t a terribly surprising move given Farley’s comments on this topic over the years. Back in 2023, the exec kicked things off by stating that The Blue Oval wouldn’t be making and selling ICE-powered two-row crossovers in the future. “We are not going to be playing in the two-row commodity crossover market because that’s – because Ford’s tried that in the ICE business and it didn’t really work out for us,” he said.
Farley did add that Ford will play to its strengths in terms of trucks and its Ford Pro commercial business, but then – in January 2024 – he added “what is going to make Ford different? And for me it’s very simple: we don’t make commodity products. We make products for people who work, and work with their hands, and we make passion products like Bronco and Mustang. And that’s what we do at Ford, and when we’ve gotten away from that formula, it hasn’t worked out. We want Ford to be a powerhouse when it comes to passion products and work products. No more boring products, and that’s what this night is all about.”
This sentiment was once again restated just last month, when Farley was at the Detroit Auto Show. “We do not make shampoo,” he stated. “Rule No. 1 at Ford: no boring products. Our industry is in the midst of a disruption. But one thing remains true: Great products always win.”
Comments
Previous employment: CEO of the Truck and Mustang Company.
The biggest fault with this is that not many people can afford his ” No boring products ” even the Maverick is quickly becoming unaffordable.
Farley produces the most boring vehicles in the whole Ford history!!!!!
When you know, time is short.