Ford CEO Jim Farley has come out to state that the brand has a desire to expand on its compact bakkie offerings after the success of the Maverick. He has also expressed that the company has no desire for sub-brands but is rather looking at extending model lines.
Speaking to Automotive News, when asked about expanding Ford’s brand portfolio, Farley states “I think we kind of are with Broncos and Mustangs. But instead of a vertical brand like Mercury, we’re doing it horizontally, where we’re creating these families of vehicles. Some ICE, some digital. So yes.
“I think Maverick will be a new franchise. Just think about what we just did. It’s a $20 000 hybrid vehicle and the response has been completely out of control. Could we make other affordable vehicles as a Maverick family? Yes, of course we could. I think we will need those kind of brand extensions, but they’re going to stay within our icons.”
Farley has also been instrumental in Ford’s success over the last few years. Under his guise, the brand’s stock has nearly tripled. When asked why he has been so successful at the helm, he says “Ford works best with a plan. You’ve got to have a plan. We have the Ford+ plan; everyone knows what it is. We’re executing against the plan. We’re turning around our automotive operations, our quality’s getting better, our launches are getting better,
“And if there’s one thing I want to leave you with, it’s that I don’t want to change this plan. It’s a good plan. It’s exactly what we need. But what keeps me up at night, as always, is execution. How do we get to be No. 2 in the next few years in the U.S. for battery electrics? That’s execution.”
