Ford Wants to Be 'The Porsche of Off-Road'

CEO Jim Farley's pledge: 'No boring products.'

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Photo by: Andrew Link | Motor1

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Jan 17, 2025 at 3:41am ET

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Ford raised eyebrows when it obliterated its car lineup in the United States a few years ago, leaving only the Mustang. The situation is identical in Europe, where the Mondeo (Fusion) and Fiesta are gone, and the Focus will shockingly die this year. Last September, CEO Jim Farley defended these drastic measures by saying the Blue Oval is "getting out of the boring car business and into the iconic vehicle business." Now, it's doubling down on that promise.

At the 2025 Detroit Auto Show, the head honcho told Automotive News he wants to turn Ford into the "No. 1 undisputed off-road brand in the world." He even went so far as to say the Dearborn automaker aspires to be the "Porsche of off-road." The objective is to grow Tremor, Bronco, and Raptor into stronger brands so that off-roaders can account for more than the 20 percent share registered in Ford's total sales last year.

Photo by: Andrew Link | Motor1

But why did Ford get out of the car business anyway? Last year, Farley explained that the Fiesta, Focus, and Mondeo/Fusion weren't profitable enough to justify spending more money on them. To be fair, Ford hasn't completely abandoned regular cars. Aside from the globally available Mustang, the Mondeo is still on sale in China. In addition, the Taurus is offered in some parts of the world, including the Middle East.

Rumors of a four-door Mustang (well, different from the electric Mach-E crossover) have been swirling around for years. Ford is not necessarily ruling it out. During the Detroit Auto Show, Farley said there are "all kinds of possibilities," mentioning "there's really no limit." He pledged to keep the Mustang alive for as long as he'll be at the company's helm.

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Before the Mustang takes another shape, the sports car is already evolving at both ends of the lineup. The GTD aspires to rival track-focused GT3 versions of the 911, while the recently previewed RTR version puts a four-cylinder EcoBoost underneath the hood. But Ford's off-road focus might even include the iconic pony car.

Last year, a report emerged about a lifted, all-wheel-drive 'Stang with meaty tires being shown behind closed doors during a meeting with the national network of dealers. If Porsche can build a 911 Safari with all-terrain chops, so can Ford dare to sell an adventurous Mustang. The high-riding model is allegedly going to have a combustion engine, much like the four-door sedan. The latter is internally known as the "Mach 4" and would give Ford another car in the US after a multi-year hiatus.

The Road-Focused Ford Is Alive And Well:

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Latest RTR Mustang Is an EcoBoost With Dark Horse Parts

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Source: Automotive News

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