Maybe there isn’t a new Ford pickup in my future

Harold A Black

May 24, 2024

Truck owners are famously loyal. I have heard Ram owners heap scorn on GMCs and Fords while those owners ridicule Rams. I am a Ford pickup guy. I bought my first F 150 for a farm truck 50 years ago which morphed into a gas F 250 which then morphed into a diesel F 250 when we started towing toy haulers and going camping. I admit that I did not do my usual extensive research when I started buying pickups. Rather I knew that if I did not buy a Ford my father would disown me. Dad initially disapproved of my only buying foreign cars until I took him for a ride in a Porsche 911 S cabriolet. However, I knew that he would never endorse my buying any truck other than a Ford. That stemmed from an incident in his past. In 1938 he walked into a Chevrolet dealership in Savannah, GA to buy his first new car. Dad said that the Chevy coupe automatic was simply stunning. The salesman said to Dad, “What do you want, boy?” Dad said “I want you to look at me going across the street and buying a Ford.” When he went into the Ford dealer – who had obviously seen him come out of the Chevy dealership – he was greeting with “Can I help you sir?” Dad bought the Ford and only Ford products until he died having Lincolns the last 30 years of his life. BTW, my son bought a Lincoln Nautilus a couple of years ago as a tribute to him.

I have been pleased with my Fords. My 2017 F 250 diesel has 140,000 miles and is the best truck I have ever owned. We love this truck. However, I am not so certain that I will ever buy another Ford. They make a great truck but their corporate actions and especially those of their foundation are off putting. It is the age old dilemma of whether to buy a great product from a company whose values differ from mine. I am not on Facebook because of Mark Zuckerberg. Yet I use Microsoft products despite the actions of Bill and Melinda Gates. I stay at Hyatts (although I prefer Embassy Suites) even though I find the Pritzkers especially annoying. But I stopped buying athletic shoes made in China because of the Uyghurs yet I have an iphone. I know that my actions don’t make an impact on anyone other than me. But that’s okay.

My problem with Ford is that they are supporting the EPA’s punitive tailpipe emissions rule and are against the suit brought by 25 republican AGs who argue that the EPA has overstepped its authority. To refresh: the EPA is mandating that by 2032 EVs constitute 70% of auto sales. Why would Ford align itself with the EPA? Namely because it has gone all-in to produce EVs and is losing its shirt. Ford is losing $130,000 for every EV it sells and over a $1 billion a quarter. To compensate, it is raising the price of its popular gas/diesel vehicles. To wit: a new diesel Lariat F 250 is over $100,000! What Ford wants is to force gas powered vehicles either off the market or made so expensive that customers will be forced to buy electric. Its electric F 150 is a novelty truck that can’t haul or tow heavy loads for any distance. So I will do what other Ford customers are likely to do, keep my current pickup and drive it until the wheels fall off. Then go buy a used one.

What about the Ford Foundation? Basically, it is a Marxist, socialist funding organization that funds radical movements worldwide. Go its website and it becomes clear that the foundation is focused on climate change, racial justice, equity, radical feminism and gender issues. There is even something called the Art for Justice Fund to “address the issue of mass incarceration”. Art for Justice? The Foundation says “We believe in the inherent dignity of all people. But around the world, too many people are excluded from the political, economic, and social institutions that shape their lives.”  The Foundation has announced its support for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. Ford is doubling its annual investment in trans communities, committing to at least $10 million over the next five years. Ford has targeted over $1 billion for social justice initiatives.

Apparently, the Foundation obviously does not believe that capitalism is the best method to accomplish its objectives. The Foundation is all-in on abortion and favors a reimposition of Roe to make abortion again legal nationwide. It states “We believe access to abortion is not only a fundamental human right, but a key pillar of democracy and a pivotal step on the road to equality.” Obviously, they must be pleased with the fact that abortions exceed live births in New York City. Also, the Foundation declined to condemn the Hamas attack on Israel and has been accused of funding antisemitism both domestically and abroad. Perhaps this is in the tradition of Henry Ford who was a notorious antisemite. However, the Foundation did announce that it would no longer fund the radical Alliance for Global Justice which is linked to Palestinian terrorist groups. Additionally, the Foundation has donated millions to groups advocating no deportation and no detention of illegal immigrants. Although the foundation and Ford Motor are two separate organizations, the company has done nothing to distance itself from the Foundation that bears its name, implicitly sending a message that it does not oppose its actions.

I think it is highly likely that the EPA mandates will not be enforced. A republican administration will move to strike them. The American consumer may finally wake up to the high costs of going green and become frustrated with the increased brown outs and black outs of the energy grid. This is happening in Europe and will happen here. Then Ford (and GM’s Mary Barra) will find that it is on the wrong side of the market as consumers rebel against the dictates of the left. Hopefully, I will still be around to see it.