Jim Farley says Ford will ditch generic cars in favor of passion products. New affordable electric pickup will redefine mainstream EV appeal in US. Europe gets small EVs with attitude via Renault partnership and technology. Jim Farley has been saying it for a while now, and he’s not backing off. Ford’s CEO doesn’t want to build boring cars, and now that promise stretches from American pickups to small European EVs, with even a supercar tease thrown in for good measure. Farley first floated the idea back in 2024, but in a new chat with Top Gear, he reasserted his position, this time with Europe firmly in his sights. “No more generic vehicles,” Farley told TG’s reporter at an interview in Detroit recently. “People loved Focus and Fiesta because they were affordable vehicles with great driving dynamics. They were not boring vehicles.” But it sounds like their replacements, built around the same Renault AmpR platform that’s helped make the 5 a hit, will be much funkier, and also tangibly different from Renault’s own products. Aspirational Appeal In Europe “Our EV strategy is changing in Europe and we intend to compete differently,” Farley says. “The cars will have a specific feel that is not mid-market. Even in the EV world I think that’s possible, but we’re going to have to take some risks.” He even reached for a big-name comparison to underline the point. “We’re making passion products, this is not a marketing conversation. This is a Steve Jobs kind of conversation. I’m challenging the concept that the Fiesta ST is the best example of democratized performance at Ford. Whether they’re based on a VW or Renault platform, we’re going to execute those cars with a swagger that’s specific to Ford of Europe.” Affordability For America Meanwhile, in the US, Ford’s taking a different route to the same destination. Instead of chasing premium EVs, it’s working on a smaller, cheaper, $30k electric pickup (seen above) aimed squarely at the mainstream. The idea is simple: build something affordable that people actually want, not just something that ticks regulatory boxes. It’s all part of a broader rethink that also pushes hybrids and new production methods designed to cut costs and complexity. If it works, Ford could finally crack the code on making electrified vehicles both desirable and profitable. A New GT? And then there’s the wildcard. Right at the end of the interview, Farley hinted that a new halo performance car has already been decided, and suggested his team was way past the question of what kind of car it should be. “We’re not pondering, we’ve already answered it,” he teased. Farley didn’t spill details, but the message was clear. Ford wants excitement back at every level, from entry EVs to whatever sits at the very top. Ford
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