Aug. 12 – U.S. automaker Ford CEO Jim Farley recently claimed that his company’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is already the market leader in the U.S. electric pickup market, and teased Tesla CEO Elon Musk about whether he could still launch a Cybertruck electric pickup truck ( Cybertruck). Musk then retorted, “Thanks, but I already have one.”
Farley touted his own electric pickup truck when he announced a new clean energy deal with DTE Energy, teasing Musk by saying, “Take that.”
When a user shared the video on his personal social media Twitter feed, Musk disagreed back, “Thanks, but I already have one.”
Farley takes the helm at Ford on Oct. 1, 2020. Under his leadership, Ford’s electric pickup truck is ahead of Tesla, with deliveries of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup beginning in late May. Earlier this week, Ford announced an increase in the price of all of its electric pickups.
In contrast, it seems to be a long time before Tesla’s Sable electric pickup truck hits the market. Musk confirmed at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting last week that the Sable electric pickup will be available in 2023.
As competitors, Ford and Tesla often interact. Last year, Musk boasted that Tesla and Ford were “the only American automakers not in bankruptcy” among thousands of auto startups.
Musk tweeted, “Samples are easy, mass production is hard, cash flow is the most painful.”
Farley retweeted Musk’s comment and replied with one word: “Respect.”
A few months later, Ford appeared to poke fun at Musk in an ad it released.
“Right now, it seems like the only person who matters is the loudest,” actor Bryan Cranston said in an off-camera message. “The people who want to screw things up and then fly away in a private spaceship when things get harder.”
The terrain in question could be a reference to Musk’s SpaceX project, as well as the recent racial bias lawsuit Tesla has faced.
