Since Ford Motor Company reported a complete Q4 / 2020 fiscal year report with a loss of $2.8 Billion but a doubling of R&D on EVs to $22 Billion from $11 Billion and a $7 Billion for EV Autonomous driving, the auto reporters are asking this very question: Is this a Shot across gm's bow or is it targeted more broadly across the whole industry as everyone wants to take sales away or greatly slow down Tesla.
Tesla's valuation appears to be based on investors putting money with new technology seems to be driving changes of the future. 
gm has now committed to moving into the technology camp with a solid date of when new ICE auto's will no longer be produced as the whole portfolio will change over to EV's. Ford also is now committing to this same strategy. This now makes one wonder about the rest of the auto industry.
Stellantis CEO did an interview with Forbes that has put cold water on Peugeot coming to the US in the near term future as he wants to invest in the existing US name brands and grow their 12.7% market share. He also said that Stellantis has the manufacturing power and EV technology, but getting it into the hands of everyone is the concern at reasonable prices. Stellantis CEO says this is in the hands of the various global governments as he wants cleaner air and believes diesel the dirtiest of fuels will die off before regular petrol and where dictated by governments such as China and Europe will see a faster change over than other countries. Yet with the change in administration in the US, he says this could move the Stellantis brands to move into the full EV camp at a future date.
Then we have small countries that have decided to make a major change in moving the country into EVs way sooner than other places and killing ICE sales like Thailand. This will allow local Thai startups to compete for the first time with international companies that also do not have anything in the market yet. 
With a large range of battery plants coming online over the next 18 months, the move to EVs could happen at a pace that took decades for ICE in the early 1900's.
So this brings this back to the original question, Is Fords Doubling commitment to EV's and moving ICE into the last generation like GM a shot across GM's bow or a shot at the whole industry to say, look at us, we are moving into a Technology driven auto company and our stock should be much higher like Tesla's.
Currently gm is valued at just under $80 Billion, Ford is valued at $40 Billion, Tesla is valued at $807 Billion, Toyota is valued at $155.5 Billion, Stellantis is valued at $50.5 Billion, Daimler is valued at $71 Billion, BMW valued at $46 and VW is valued at $90.7 Billion and while there are plenty of other auto companies, one has to wonder what Ford is focused on with the drastic change and speeding up of moving to EVs as a complete global portfolio.
Sound off and discuss how, what, where and when you think this will have it's big affect.
Charged EVs | Is Ford’s increase in EV investment a shot across GM’s bow? - Charged EVs
Stellantis CEO Reveals Peugeot U.S. Fate, Job Security, EV Conflict (forbes.com)
Future Toyotas, Stellantis, batteries and EVs - the week | Automotive Industry Comment | just-auto (just-auto.com)

We've been reporting on Ford's upcoming truck, the Maverick since 2018. The truck would sit underneath the Ranger and become the entry-level model for the brand. Now, we have gotten our best look at what it will look like.
The Maverick Truck Club forum got its hand on an image showing a prototype Maverick on the line reportedly at Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico plant. Up front, the Maverick borrows some ideas from the Bronco Sport with C-shaped headlights and a horizontal bar splitting the grille. We don't know if Ford is planning to offer any cab configurations aside from the crew-cab seen in the photo.
Ford did not immediately reply to comment on this when reached out by Roadshow. 
The Maverick is expected to use the C2 architecture which underpins the new Escape and Bronco Sport. Autoblog speculates there could be two rear suspension setups based on spy shots that show a mule with twist-beam style setup with no rear differential for the front-wheel driver version. A slightly beefier setup might be used for the all-wheel drive version.
Right now, everyone seems to think that the Maverick could debut as a 2022 model year vehicle.  
Source: Maverick Truck Club, Roadshow, Autoblog
Pic Credit: Maverick Truck Club


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We've been reporting on Ford's upcoming truck, the Maverick since 2018. The truck would sit underneath the Ranger and become the entry-level model for the brand. Now, we have gotten our best look at what it will look like.
The Maverick Truck Club forum got its hand on an image showing a prototype Maverick on the line reportedly at Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico plant. Up front, the Maverick borrows some ideas from the Bronco Sport with C-shaped headlights and a horizontal bar splitting the grille. We don't know if Ford is planning to offer any cab configurations aside from the crew-cab seen in the photo.
Ford did not immediately reply to comment on this when reached out by Roadshow. 
The Maverick is expected to use the C2 architecture which underpins the new Escape and Bronco Sport. Autoblog speculates there could be two rear suspension setups based on spy shots that show a mule with twist-beam style setup with no rear differential for the front-wheel driver version. A slightly beefier setup might be used for the all-wheel drive version.
Right now, everyone seems to think that the Maverick could debut as a 2022 model year vehicle.  
Source: Maverick Truck Club, Roadshow, Autoblog
Pic Credit: Maverick Truck Club

Jim Hackett's tenure as Ford CEO will be coming to a close on October 1st as he will retire from the position. His replacement is Jim Farley, currently Ford's Chief Operating Officer, a role he took on at the beginning of this year. In a press release, Ford said the two will be working together over the next two months on the transition. Hackett will stay on as "special advisor" for some time after.
“I am very grateful to Jim Hackett for all he has done to modernize Ford and prepare us to compete and win in the future. Our new product vision – led by the Mustang Mach-E, new F-150 and Bronco family – is taking shape. We now have compelling plans for electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as full vehicle connectivity. And we are becoming much more nimble, which was apparent when we quickly mobilized to make life-saving equipment at the outset of the pandemic,” said Ford executive chairman, Bill Ford.
Hackett became Ford's CEO in 2017 after the ousting of then CEO Mark Fields. His short tenure brought forth some major and controversial decisions such as Ford killing off most of their passenger car nameplates to focus on trucks and utility vehicles; spending $11 billion in electric vehicles by 2022, and the introductions of the Mach-E, 2021 F-150, and Bronco. He has also dealt with a lot frustration from various groups as The Detroit News outlines,
Hackett admitted that his tenure did cause a fair amount of friction, but said his efforts are starting to show.
"I aimed for moving ahead versus just moving fast. Could we aim for a longer-arc kind of reward. In this case, for the three years it takes to get products to market, you're starting to see the fruits of our labor."
Farley, who has been with Ford since 2007, knows he has a tough road ahead. Aside from realizing the various paths laid out by Hackett, he also has to deal with the issues of the COVID-19 pandemic and hopefully launch two of Ford's key product without any issues.
Source: Ford
Press Release is on Page 2


FORD ANNOUNCES JIM HACKETT TO RETIRE AS PRESIDENT AND CEO; JIM FARLEY TO SUCCEED HACKETT AS COMPANY CONTINUES TRANSFORMATION
Jim Hackett, who has led Ford Motor Company’s transformation since 2017 as president and CEO, has elected to retire from the company Jim Farley, currently chief operating officer, becomes president and CEO of Ford effective Oct. 1. He was also elected to the Ford board of directors. He will work closely with Jim Hackett on the transition over the next two months Seamless CEO transition underscores strength of Ford’s leadership team, succession planning, and company progress over the past three years, Executive Chairman Bill Ford says DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 4, 2020 – Ford Motor Company today announced that Jim Hackett, who has led the company’s transformation since 2017, plans to retire from the company. Jim Farley has been named the company’s new president and CEO and will join the board of directors, effective Oct. 1.
Hackett, 65, and Farley, 58, will work together on a smooth leadership transition over the next two months.
Under Hackett, Ford moved aggressively into the new era of smart vehicles and drove a deeper focus on customers’ wants and needs. At the same time, Ford improved the fitness of the base business – restructuring operations, invigorating the product portfolio and reducing bureaucracy.
“I am very grateful to Jim Hackett for all he has done to modernize Ford and prepare us to compete and win in the future,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman. “Our new product vision – led by the Mustang Mach-E, new F-150 and Bronco family – is taking shape. We now have compelling plans for electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as full vehicle connectivity. And we are becoming much more nimble, which was apparent when we quickly mobilized to make life-saving equipment at the outset of the pandemic.”
Farley, an automotive leader with deep global experience and a successful track record, collaborated with Hackett over the past three years to develop and execute Ford’s Creating Tomorrow Together plan to transform Ford into a higher-growth, higher-margin business.
“Jim Farley matches an innate feel for cars and customers with great instincts for the future and the new technologies that are changing our industry,” Bill Ford said. “Jim’s passion for great vehicles and his intense drive for results are well known, and I have also seen him develop into a transformational leader with the determination and foresight to help Ford thrive into the future.”
Farley joined Ford in 2007 as global head of Marketing and Sales and went on to lead Lincoln, Ford South America, Ford of Europe and all Ford global markets in successive roles. In April 2019, Farley was chosen to lead Ford’s New Businesses, Technology & Strategy team, helping the company determine how to capitalize on powerful forces reshaping the industry – such as software platforms, connectivity, AI, automation and new forms of propulsion. He was named chief operating officer in February of this year.
Hackett, who will continue as a special advisor to Ford through March of 2021, said the time is right to pass the mantle of leadership to Jim Farley.
“My goal when I took on the CEO role was to prepare Ford to win in the future,” Hackett said. “The hardest thing for a proud, long-lived company to do is change to meet the challenges of the world it’s entering rather than the world it has known. I’m very proud of how far we have come in creating a modern Ford and I am very optimistic about the future.
“I have worked side-by-side with Jim Farley for the past three years and have the greatest confidence in him as a person and a leader,” Hackett said. “He has been instrumental in crafting our new product portfolio and redesigning our businesses around the world. He is also a change agent with a deep understanding of how to lead Ford in this new era defined by smart vehicles in a smart world.”
Said Farley: “I love Ford and I am honored by the opportunity to serve and create value for Ford’s employees, customers, dealers, communities and all of our stakeholders. Jim Hackett has laid the foundation for a really vibrant future and we have made tremendous progress in the past three years. I am so excited to work together with the whole Ford team to realize the full potential of this great company in a new era.”

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