Ford BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.
Ford has been making headlines all week with news spanning from business performance to boardroom strategy and even some old-fashioned Detroit drama. According to Automotive News, CEO Jim Farley just marked his five-year milestone at the helm, reflecting on a tenure that has radically reshaped the company. Farley, who started in October 2020, claims he’s most proud of building a stronger foundation by refocusing Ford’s direction, pushing hard into electric vehicles and hybrids, and cutting models like the Edge and Escape to spotlight icons such as the Bronco, Mustang, and the F-150. September sales figures dropped with a thud—13 percent up overall last month, and a record 30,600 EVs plus 55,000 hybrids sold in the third quarter—barely in time for anxious buyers to lock in expiring federal tax credits.
Company performance has been a bright spot. Ford’s seventh straight monthly sales gain is largely riding the enormous success of the F-Series, with 207,732 trucks moved in Q3, blowing past rivals by at least 170,000 units, as reported by Corp Magazine. Q3 saw strong momentum for the Ford brand, though Lincoln lagged, and on Wall Street, Ford’s stock closed the week up five percent at $12.67, even as General Motors suffered a dip, according to Ford Authority. Driving this upbeat market energy are ongoing strategic moves: galactic investments in solid-state batteries, the approach of new EV battery plants, and the expansion of digital services through alliances with tech powerhouses like Google for infotainment and SK Innovation for batteries.
A headline-grabber in the business press, the hands-on CEO is getting attention for his embrace of the Japanese management principle "gemba," a discipline Farley admits he internalized from Toyota, explained in detail to Business Insider. The strategy? Farley insists on seeing every process firsthand before making any major decision—a move he credits with modernizing Ford’s historic assembly lines for the EV age, even when it means confronting entrenched interests and potentially rattling senior management.
Not all the chatter is boardroom smooth. In a scene fit for social media infamy, The Autopian reported a digital protest this week when hackers commandeered Ford’s headquarters display screens to rail against the current return-to-office mandate, broadcasting a blunt profane message company-wide. Though neither Farley nor upper management made a public comment, the disruption made the rounds on Twitter and LinkedIn, fueling speculation over employee unrest in the white-collar ranks.
Looking out over the next few weeks, Ford is prepping for another pivotal moment, scheduling the release of their third-quarter financial results for October 23, per Ford’s official newsroom. Industry watchers and investors are expecting Farley and his team to offer even deeper insights into Ford’s shifting place in the auto industry pecking order and its evolving plan for electrification dominance.
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