Ford global boss tests BYD Shark and GWM Cannon in Australia: “Competitive products but how do they make money”

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Ford’s global boss has praised Australian engineers and called Chinese rivals “seriously competitive” products after participating in a comparison drive involving the Ranger, BYD Shark, GWM Cannon and LandCruiser 70 Series utes.

CEO Jim Farley revealed the surprise local test drive on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix, which Ford’s most senior executives are attending as part of the company’s debut technical partnership with F1 teams Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.

Farley described the Chinese ute rivals as “different animals” to what he calls the superior Ranger but admitted he could understand their appeal to buyers.

“If you put 500 kilos in the back [of the BYD Shark], it’s not a Ranger, it’s not a Hilux [in terms of payload capability],” he said. “But for someone who doesn’t do that every day and they want electrification, it’s a pretty competitive product. 

“I have no idea how [BYD and GWM] make money when we tear [the Shark and Cannon] apart [and look at the cost of their components]. 

“The Great Wall is a very competitive product [in terms of capability].”

Farley said he spoke to many Australian customers as part of the test drive, which took place in Queensland, describing them as “very educated” about the ute market.

He admitted that while he was confident the Ranger was the superior product, aided by the vast experience of Ford Australia’s engineering team, the company couldn’t be complacent about the different needs of buyers.

“[The Chinese brands] haven’t been [developing utes] like our Ranger or the Hilux for decades, so they don’t have all the chassis [know-how] and all the towing and payload [capability] and all the [development] experience. 

“They don’t have all the [aftermarket accessory] upfitters. So, they’re coming at [the market] with a huge deficit, but it’s a good solid competitive product. 

“I much prefer the Ranger for real work … but not everyone in Australia buys a Ranger to do the kind of work that we design it for. But there’s a lot of different kinds of customers here.”

Farley spent three days driving the group of utes and declared his admiration for the Ranger Super Duty and Ranger PHEV (plug-in hybrid) that were developed in Australia – and built in Thailand – for global markets.

“The [Ford Australia] team has done a great job with the Super Duty… I was blown away,” he said. “It’s a really good product. If that team could do that with limited resources and beat the LandCruiser 70 [in my opinion], which in my career has been an icon of a global industry… 

“I think [the Ford engineering team] have a bright future, but we have to have a good plan for Australia. Australia has become ground zero for the global industry because your government dropped all the tariffs to completely open the market. 

“And also they’re pushing CO2 [with the New Vehicle Emissions Standard], probably arguably way beyond the customer requirements. And so it’s this cauldron of innovation and brutal competition. 

“And to have engineers here, we’re the only ones left. It’s amazing to me that no-one notices that Toyota has like 10 engineers in the country and Ford’s got thousands.

“And do we get credit at the brand level? Probably not. But thank God they’re here because we wouldn’t have a Super Duty without them.”

That “good plan for Australia” involves seeking financial assistance from the government, and Farley warned the local engineering jobs were in danger without that aid. Ford Australia employs about 1400-1500. Read our separate story here.