CEO Jim Farley says Americans need to fall ‘back in love’ with smaller cars

[numike]

we have its called the Ford Maverick!
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/02/ford-jim-farley-smaller-cars

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[lavaspill]

Hard to do when the smallest vehicle they make is not “small”.

 

[Clarkdonbran]

He’s not wrong, but he’s also not going to stop producing massive trucks. He’s talking out of both sides of his mouth and one side is his anus.

 

[inline_five]

He’s not wrong, but he’s also not going to stop producing massive trucks. He’s talking out of both sides of his mouth and one side is his anus.

Government CAFE requirements force them to, although electric vehicles will upend this trend hopefully.

That being said cheap gas has really made people not care about the size of cars either. Buying that 20-25 mpg SUV/truck doesn’t hurt too much when gas is inexpensive.

Honestly though the Mav is just about perfect for myself and wife. It’s big enough to feel comfortable in but small enough to easily drive and park, and get good efficiency.

 

[PNWMaverick]

So build them!

We can't buy what isn't being built and offered. We didn't start the arms race on size...

 

[Gray Goose]

Hard to believe a word Farley says when Ford is willing to pump out more F-150's than the market demands and 3 years into Maverick production it still has "supply chain" constraints.
For a good laugh, click on "explore all compact vehicles" on this page https://www.ford.com/cars/fiesta/

Expedition, Explorer and Bronco as substitutes for a compact vehicle? Really?

 

[Your_Cousin_Vinny]

This is such a bogus comment. The furniture man Hackett canceled all cars despite the Focus and Fiesta being pretty competitive (transmission notwithstanding), and the Fusion being the 3rd best selling Ford all the way up until it's demise, and also being a very good, competitive midsizer (LOVED my Fusion Sport). Now Farley blames that decision on the buyer? Absolutely F*ing not. people were still buying a ton of them, they just didn't have the sort of profit margins like crossovers and trucks.

A Fusion and an Edge likely took about the same resources to build, but why sell 2 Fusions when you make the same profit on 1 Edge. They traded volume for margins, and now they want to blame the consumers after they also raised prices well beyond inflation just like every other short-term money-hungry company. They saw the opportunity for a cash grab without thinking far enough ahead to understand the consequences.

You can only wring people out once, then there's nothing left...

The overwhelming success of the Maverick is a testament to the average person's continued desire for a reasonably sized, competent vehicle at a reasonable price. People were then, are now, and always will be enamored with these type of cars (in any shape), Ford just stopped offering them.

As much as I want to scold Ford for their shortsightedness, I'm excited for new, small Fords if the Maverick is any indication of their direction.

 

[rad32]

This is such a bogus comment. The furniture man Hackett canceled all cars despite the Focus and Fiesta being pretty competitive (transmission notwithstanding), and the Fusion being the 3rd best selling Ford all the way up until it's demise, and also being a very good, competitive midsizer (LOVED my Fusion Sport). Now Farley blames that decision on the buyer? Absolutely F*ing not. people were still buying a ton of them, they just didn't have the sort of profit margins like crossovers and trucks.

A Fusion and an Edge likely took about the same resources to build, but why sell 2 Fusions when you make the same profit on 1 Edge. They traded volume for margins, and now they want to blame the consumers after they also raised prices well beyond inflation just like every other short-term money-hungry company. They saw the opportunity for a cash grab without thinking far enough ahead to understand the consequences.

You can only wring people out once, then there's nothing left...

The overwhelming success of the Maverick is a testament to the average person's continued desire for a reasonably sized, competent vehicle at a reasonable price. People were then, are now, and always will be enamored with these type of cars (in any shape), Ford just stopped offering them.

As much as I want to scold Ford for their shortsightedness, I'm excited for new, small Fords if the Maverick is any indication of their direction.

My wife loved her fiesta, it had so much personality. But those transmission issues really turned us off Ford for awhile. Can't trust a vehicle that would lurch forward out of no where. It was a shame besides that we had zero complaints.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Farley's full of bull sh*t. Blowing smoke out of his a*s for those that like to hear it. Does he really think the F150, Super Duty's, Expedition's etc. for commercial and personal use that many in this country and others rely on is just going to cease to exist. Ford and the others would just go bankrupt. Will be a long time before that happens IMO. The EV is a great fit for many and that's fine, i'm not an EV hater (nor lover), but there's a very large population that they won't be a fit for.

 

[TrailMaster]

And, while many EVs are small they are HEAVY. This creates a new set of challenges.

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/arti...il-system-cant-handle-heavy-electric-vehicles

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stud...jkYEhwmm--AWe9mVK_yDyZvBGjvLX0m4f0wyw5y1Z7DD2

https://www.capitalone.com/cars/lea...ar/will-heavy-evs-destroy-americas-roads/1463

 

[Maverickman74]

Government CAFE requirements force them to, although electric vehicles will upend this trend hopefully.

That being said cheap gas has really made people not care about the size of cars either. Buying that 20-25 mpg SUV/truck doesn’t hurt too much when gas is inexpensive.

Honestly though the Mav is just about perfect for myself and wife. It’s big enough to feel comfortable in but small enough to easily drive and park, and get good efficiency.

Yep raise the gas prices to European levels. But if you do that they will hang the president and his immunities.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Does Ford even make any small cars any more? Yeah, smaller SUVs and the Maverick is a small truck, but gone are the small-midsized cars. Perhaps people just don't want them.

 

[Blu]

Does Ford even make any small cars any more? Yeah, smaller SUVs and the Maverick is a small truck, but gone are the small-midsized cars. Perhaps people just don't want them.

Yes, but not for the US.

 

[MightyMaverick]

Yeah, says the guy who pumps out so many full-size trucks and SUVs that the market can't bare. And overpriced ones at that! You go to any Ford dealer in the country and they're all stacked with F-150s, Super Duties, Edges, Expeditions, and now even the full-size Broncos because they're all overpriced and too big for everyday use. Not to mention with high fuel prices, of course they're gonna sit. And what doesn't help is that this is the same company that killed all of their small cars back in 2019: Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus.

Although Jim Farley wasn't the CEO at the time, if he really cared enough about small vehicles, they would've either been brought back or had similar replacements on the market at this point. And I don't think they ever will be. All talk but no walk. Instead of pumping out useless $80K F-150s that are gonna rot on lots anyway, why not use the in-between to build some Focus or Fiesta sized vehicles that people can actually afford and will never sit on lots? Just a thought And they'll be nice compliments to the Maverick.

 

[fossil]

Does Ford even make any small cars any more? Yeah, smaller SUVs and the Maverick is a small truck, but gone are the small-midsized cars. Perhaps people just don't want them.

Americans were never in love with small cars unless they came with a V8 under the hood

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