Ford Marketing Chief Talks Smack

Jim Farley is confident Ford Motor Co. can go toe-to-toe in the B-car segment with market-leader Toyota Motor Corp., his former employer.

“From an efficiency and product-development standpoint, absolutely,” Ford's newly appointed group vice president-marketing and communications tells Ward's at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The U.S. auto maker already is demonstrating its prowess in Europe, Farley says. “Ford's got almost a 10% (market) share and a very vibrant company in Europe. I worked for Toyota of Europe for a lot of years, and that's made a lot of progress, but it's not a 10% player.”

Ford's leadership in European small cars could transfer to the U.S. However, Farley says it's unusual for an auto maker to have such success in one part of the world and struggle in another, as is the case with Ford in its key North American market.

“We don't have the same (customer) connection here,” he says. “It's unusual because when you look at other competent small-car companies like Honda (Motor Co. Ltd.) and Toyota, there is consistency.”

Ford's upcoming B-car, to be co-developed with partner Mazda Motor Corp., will be key in delivering the message that Ford can compete in the growing small-car market, Farley says.

Ironically, introducing the B-car in the U.S. will be similar to the challenge Toyota faced when launching its Tundra fullsize pickup.

Correctly marketing the B-car in the U.S. will be critical, as the reputation for small cars isn't there. “How do we connect with customers that are disconnected with us? It's a big challenge,” he says.