If you ask Ford CEO Jim Farley, there's no doubt that the brand will become the new Porsche. At least when it comes to off-road vehicles.
Ford CEO Jim Farley insists that Ford should be the new Porsche of off-road vehicles.
Farley has a clear goal for Ford to build cars that appeal to car enthusiasts. Ford has just introduced two new versions of their classic muscle car: the Mustang RTR with Dark Horse parts and the Mustang GTD Spirit Of America Edition with a so-called 'patriotic' design.
While these models have attracted attention among car enthusiasts, it is Ford's off-road vehicles that drive the bulk of sales. The larger vehicles will account for a full 20 percent of the automaker's total sales by 2024.
In an interview with Auto News during the Detroit Auto Show, Jim Farley said that there's no way around Ford when it comes to off-road vehicles. In fact, the CEO will be leading the biggest of its kind, if he does say so himself.
– Ford wants to be the undisputed leading off-road brand in the world. We want to be the Porsche of off-road.
The director’s vision goes beyond street cars like the Raptor series, as it includes Ford’s growing presence in off-road motorsport. One example is the Dakar Rally, where the Raptor T1+ secured third place this year. Toyota won in the other event.
Jim Baumbick, Ford's vice president of product development, operations and quality, explained the purpose of the car brand's presence in the world of motorsport.
The deputy director believes that the car brand participates in lob not only to win honors and titles, but also to "improve products and use that knowledge in our development of street cars."
In fact, according to the American brand, it already is. You can see the inspiration from motorsport directly in the new Mustang Dark. At least when you look at the GT3 cars that race around in the European Le Mans series.
Since Farley took over as CEO in 2020, Ford has launched a wide range of vehicles designed to appeal to car enthusiasts.
From the Maverick Lobo to the Ranger and Bronco Raptors, the Mustang Mach-E Rally and the high-performance Mustang GTD, Ford says it is creating models that cater to niche markets while maintaining broad appeal.
This strategy is expected to continue in the future with more special editions of existing cars. Farley has also promised that the brand will continue to build a V8-powered sports car . "Even if we have to be the last to do it."
