Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company’s VP of Marketing has supposedly been quoted displaying a complete lack of professionalism. It’s a rare moment when any executive is caught blatantly disrespecting their competitors, so it would be interesting if it turns out that these accusations are accurate.
Early copies of the upcoming book titled “Once Upon a Car” by Bill Vlasic, a New York Times reporter, have been released, allegedly containing the questionable quotes.
Ford and GM are long time rivals, as are many of each of their fans, but these quotes sound less like part of an executive’s story and more like drag strip trash talk. Let’s take a look at what he had to say:
“What Jim Farley really wanted to do was kick the daylights out of General Motors. “I’m going to beat Chevrolet on the head with bat,” he said with a slightly wicked smile. “And I’m going to enjoy it.” There was a saying going around Ford: GM was like the kid who was born on third base and yells out, “Hey Ma, I hit a triple!” Farley and his fellow Ford executives and workers were ready to rumble.”
…This was like the glory days again â Ford versus GM, let the better car company win. “We’re going to beat on them, and it’s going to be fun,” said Farley. “Fâ- GM. I hate them and their company and what they stand for. And I hate the way they’re succeeding.”
Reaching out to both Ford and GM for comment on the matter, Jalopnick came up with the following:
Jay Cooney, GM’s spokesman says “We would not have expected such crass words coming from Ford.”
John Stoll comments for Ford, saying that “We have not yet seen the book and are unable to comment on the specific quotes. This is a passionate, competitive industry, and we respect all of our competitors.”
Want to see for yourself? The book is scheduled for release in October.
- By: Alexandra Koken
Source: Jalopnik
