Ford CEO Jim Farley revealed a pivotal moment in the automaker's electric vehicle journey after tearing down a Tesla. In a candid interview with Car and Driver, Farley admitted Ford engineers were 'absolutely flabbergasted' when they realized their internal combustion engine prejudice had led them to design EVs incorrectly. The teardown exposed how Tesla engineers approached vehicle design without the biases that had shaped Ford's century-old engineering culture.

Farley, who took the helm at Ford in 2020, has been vocal about his evolving relationship with electric vehicles. Despite describing himself as a lifelong 'petrol head' who loves the 'soundtrack' of gas engines, he now drives a Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum and praises its 'astonishingly quiet and smooth' performance. His transformation mirrors Ford's broader shift toward electrification, though the company initially struggled with the transition from traditional vehicles.

The CEO believes this current era of electrification would thrill Ford's founder Henry Ford, who he says would be 'up all night' working on the next breakthrough. Farley's admission that Ford 'hadn't designed the cars right' signals a significant cultural shift at the automaker as it competes with Tesla and other EV manufacturers in an increasingly electric future.