The Stakes Are High: Inside the Team Developing Ford’s New Generation of Electric Vehicles

[mackinaw]

Bingo! It's not like they just call him up and say "hey, we need a CEO, are you available?" Then, Hackett just shows up for his first day on the job with no idea what's going on. It doesn't work that way. He had a pretty good idea of what he was getting into, and the Ford board had a pretty good idea of the basics of his plan before he showed up for work (my theory anyway).

 

We forget that Hackett has been on Ford's Board of Directors since 2013. He was well aware of Ford's failings. And when offered the CEO job he almost turned it down, feeling there were other people in the company that could take over.

 

He will be a change element, no doubt about that. I really like that he's encouraging stylists and engineers to be bold and do something different. No guts, no glory as they say.

[fordmantpw]

I tried, but he quickly started changing stuff and it made my life at work a living hell with all the cuts he was making.

 

Also I was only familiar with him as the interim athletic director at Michigan and I was underwhelmed with that too.

 

And we don't have your point of view, so we don't see what you see either.

 

 

He will be a change element, no doubt about that. I really like that he's encouraging stylists and engineers to be bold and do something different. No guts, no glory as they say.

 

What Ford needed was a change. The same 'ole, same 'ole that Fields brought wasn't doing it. They needed somebody to shake things up the way Mulally did.

[mackinaw]

........If it looks like a mustang cousin then it has to live up to the family name. Performance has to be a little better than other EV CUVs in its price range.......

 

Expect the Mach 1 (or whatever it's called), to be butt-puckering fast. Electric engines have almost instant torque. There are videos on You Tube right now of Tesla Model 3's blowing the doors off Mustangs and Camaro's. It wouldn't surprise me at all if we see sub 4-second 0-60 times.

[akirby]

This is the kind of stuff Hackett and his team should have been doing from the start.

 

Um...that was literally one of the first things he did after becoming CEO. How much closer to the start can it go?

[akirby]

Can you really blame some of us considering he was making decisions with next to zero context and explaination?

 

Why does he owe you or me or anyone here an explanation about proprietary (non public) business decisions? He doesn't need to tell us or wall street anything beyond what he and the board think they need to know.

[akirby]

Go ask the Apple CEO about next year's iphone or ipad and see what he tells you.

[IMSA-XJR9]

Dont worry Mustang buyers wont be too offended when they are buying a Bronco instead ?

 

Im hoping the C pillar isnt as cranked down as much as it is on the X6, which looks like a bullfrog to me. Im hoping its a bit more E-pace mixed with a Mustang

I know the Bronco is on my radar as my next vehicle.

[Trader 10]

‘Targeted range of 300 miles”. Slim to no chance of this being obtained.

[akirby]

‘Targeted range of 300 miles”. Slim to no chance of this being obtained.

Tesla did it with the model 3, so of course it’s obtainable.

[mackinaw]

‘Targeted range of 300 miles”. Slim to no chance of this being obtained.

 

Why not? Kirby has already mentioned the Model 3. The Chevy Bolt has a 238 mile range right now. The way battery technology is developing, a 300 mile range will be common in a few years.

 

(caveat: this is at 75 degrees F. Expect battery range to be substantially less in below-freezing weather).

[jpd80]

From that we can imagine that the instruction on Bronco development from JH was a similarly

a powerful edict, that it will be a Ford Brand Iconic vehicle, Period. the wait will be worth it.

 

Maybe Jim Hackett communicates better on styling and appearance that he does with

the financial part of the business. Maybe work to his strengths as a quasi "car guy"

a few more of those captain's calls and my opinion of him will change 180 degrees ...

Edited September 7, 2018 by jpd80

[sullynd]

Im excited.

 

What if the Lincoln sedan is a BEV on the same platform?

[jpd80]

Im excited.

 

What if the Lincoln sedan is a BEV on the same platform?

Game changer

[akirby]

Im excited.

 

What if the Lincoln sedan is a BEV on the same platform?

 

A sedan would likely be a PHEV like Aviator with top performance and fuel economy. Although Tesla S did sell pretty well in comparison to other large sedans.

[rperez817]

Im excited.

 

What if the Lincoln sedan is a BEV on the same platform?

 

Sounds good! Ford should make the Lincoln vehicle lineup 100% BEV, PHEV, or hybrid in the next 5 years. Maybe they're already planning to do that.

[akirby]

 

Sounds good! Ford should make the Lincoln vehicle lineup 100% BEV, PHEV, or hybrid in the next 5 years. Maybe they're already planning to do that.

 

That's the plan for all of Ford outside commercial vehicles.

[fuzzymoomoo]

 

That's the plan for all of Ford outside commercial vehicles.

We already know a hybrid F-150 is coming, but who knows what big fleet buyers will do with that at the moment. I have no doubt we will see a FHEV or PHEV Transit at some point too.

[theoldwizard]

Who says Hackett doesn't know anything about the car business?

Most of my retired Engineering Management friends !

 

These guys have lunch with the Ford leadership team a couple of time a year (quarterly?). They have told him, verbally and in writing, that they do not agree with most of his radical changes. The 2 biggest disagreements are

• The percentage of EVs in the next 5-15 years, especially in the US
• The recent engineering reorganization (looks just like something tried and abandoned about 25 years ago).

[akirby]

We already know a hybrid F-150 is coming, but who knows what big fleet buyers will do with that at the moment. I have no doubt we will see a FHEV or PHEV Transit at some point too.

I assume they meant Super Duty and possibly Transit, although like you I think a Transit HEV or PHEV delivery vehicles makes a lot of sense, unless they’re only planning to offer it on TC.

[fordmantpw]

 

Most of my retired Engineering Management friends !

 

These guys have lunch with the Ford leadership team a couple of time a year (quarterly?). They have told him, verbally and in writing, that they do not agree with most of his radical changes. The 2 biggest disagreements are

• The percentage of EVs in the next 5-15 years, especially in the US
• The recent engineering reorganization (looks just like something tried and abandoned about 25 years ago).

 

 

Ford, as a whole, has long since resisted radical changes. That is one thing that has gotten them into trouble repeatedly. Change can be a good thing...

[theoldwizard]

I tried, but he quickly started changing stuff and it made my life at work a living hell with all the cuts he was making.

I have heard the same from the few people I know who are on the "inside".

 

I know someone who is responsible for global purchasing of tooling. The poor guy is trying to deal with suppliers in the US, China, India, Mexico and Europe. ONE GUY !! He says he has been "sourcing" more than 5 times as much tooling per year since Hackett showed up, as he did in the past.

 

(While not on site, he was heavily involved with the whole Meridian Magnesium plant fire last year. Ford had "boot on the ground" within about 24 hours, did their own assessment of damages (less than what others had said) and applied pressure to equipment manufactures to get new equipment delivered much sooner.)

[akirby]

 

Ford, as a whole, has long since resisted radical changes. That is one thing that has gotten them into trouble repeatedly. Change can be a good thing...

 

Sometimes they come out with plans for radical changes, but then somehow they either never get implemented or not to the degree expected. And it usually comes down to cost cutting and not being willing or able to fund these endeavors. I hope this is different.

[theoldwizard]

 

Ford, as a whole, has long since resisted radical changes. That is one thing that has gotten them into trouble repeatedly. Change can be a good thing...

I am not against change ! I am against that think tank guy that Hackett is adoring who claims that there will be no internal combustion engines after 2030 !! That is just insanity.

 

I am also against doing something that was done before and was not successful.

[fordmantpw]

I am not against change ! I am against that think tank guy that Hackett is adoring who claims that there will be no internal combustion engines after 2030 !! That is just insanity.

 

I doubt Hackett believes there will be no ICEs after 2030. It's good to have a vision, and EV's (PHEV, BEV, HEV) are going to play a major part going forward. Ford will be ahead of the curve when that time comes.

 

I am also against doing something that was done before and was not successful.

 

Maybe your engineer friends who don't like it are the reason it didn't succeed the first time? It's not always the plan's fault that the plan doesn't succeed...it has to be implemented correctly.

[akirby]

I am not against change ! I am against that think tank guy that Hackett is adoring who claims that there will be no internal combustion engines after 2030 !! That is just insanity.

 

I am also against doing something that was done before and was not successful.

 

Here's the thing (and I assume what Hackett is trying to do):

 

If you don't plan for the thing you think won't happen and that thing does happen, you won't be prepared.

 

If you plan for it and it doesn't happen or it only happens partially (which I think is very likely) then you're ok and worst case you may have wasted a little bit of R&D.

 

In thinking about and preparing for that possibility, Ford will be in a much better position. I think HEVs and PHEVs are going to be huge even if BEVs remain a niche market. So none of this R&D will be wasted.