Ford’s chief executive is on a mission to beat Chinese rivals.
The blue oval’s president, Jim Farley, visited Australia to speak with Australian Ford owners and dealers, haul the new Ranger Super Duty over bush tracks, and see a Ford engine in the back of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull F1 car.
But his main directive is clear. At our exclusive camp site interview, he locks eyes on mine and unsmilingly states: “I’m here to compete and beat the Chinese.”
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He’s a proper car guy, Jim Farley. And one of the most straight-talking industry execs facing up to the reality of China’s increasing dominance.
“The automotive market in China is now the most important and biggest,” he said.
“Australia is the place where (car company) CEOs need to spend time, because you have virtually no tariffs, so it’s a complete open market. Anyone can import their vehicles and sell them here.
“So you see competition here (Australia) that you don’t see anywhere else in the world.”
Exhibit A: China’s BYD Shark pick-up, which has quickly and effectively snatched Ford Ranger sales. And HiLux ones. And D-Max’s.
After just 18 months on sale, the plug-in hybrid Shark is Australia’s best-selling vehicle for private buyers.
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While in February, China became Australia’s largest source of new vehicles in a single month, usurping Japan after a 28-year unbroken run.
Wake up calls come no bigger.
Ford, and other legacy car brands, are in crisis mode. Ford suffered a US$8.2 billion ($11.5 billion) loss in 2025 – over half of that from its EV division – and has killed off numerous current and planned electric cars.
Farley’s committed to MAGA on the auto front, and for Ford that means reliability, legacy and the drive experience.
The Ford CEO met with Australia’s Rangerettes – a community of female Ranger 4×4 owners – and told them he was more interested in aspects wrong with their utes, rather than the positives.
In True Blue Aussie fashion, our Rangerettes didn’t hold back.
Grumbles included stock tyres not offering enough grip, wheel nuts deforming during removal, and what’s the point of the touchscreen sketchpad?
There are also the well-reported dramas with the Ranger’s 2.0L biturbo and V6 engines, and its 10-speed auto gearbox.
MORE: Ford Ranger Super Duty tested
“When I became CEO it was very clear to me that quality was the biggest opportunity for the company globally,” Farley told me. Translation: it needed to improve.
“We weren’t really doing the long-term durability testing,” he continued. “When we have defects, we have to be aggressive in dealing with them. It’s the basic kind of handshake with our customers.
“I would hope our new powertrain testing regimes we just put in place, the 300,000-mile plus, that’s going to help customers quite a bit. Quality is my number one priority as CEO.”
Convincing people to still buy Fords in the face of impressive Chinese opposition is key, with Farley having previously stated China’s car industry was “The most humbling thing I’ve seen.”
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A bit of mud-slinging aimed at BYD and GWM shows he’s up for the fight.
“A Tank, or a BYD Shark, they don’t understand the deep experience of driving with confidence off-road,” said Farley.
“They may have all the specs on the inside, and all the technology and electrification, but that part (the drive experience) takes hard work. And it’s actually the magic in our industry.”
Farley believes the Ford badge and the heritage surrounding it still means something to car buyers.
But China is proving, and will continue to prove, an incredibly stubborn nut to crack.
