Ford CEO calls out Musk: Can Tesla still launch Cybertruck or not

At a press conference on Wednesday, August 11, Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley took the opportunity to brag about his electric pickup truck and tease Elon Musk about whether Tesla could launch a Cybertruck or not.

Farley called Ford's new electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning, the company's "flashlight" and said Ford is "the leader in electric pickups in the US". He also took aim at Musk and wanted him to "take the bull by the horns and admit the truth".

At Ford, our mission is to create an electric and digital revolution for the many, not the few," Farley said. I have to say that for us at Ford, this beautiful flashlight was made in Dearborn, Michigan, and it's already the leader in the electric pickup truck industry in the United States."

Tesla unveiled the CyberTruck, an electric pickup truck, back in 2019 and was scheduled to go into production in 2021, but has repeatedly delayed production and deliveries. Most recently, Musk said the model would go into production in 2023. Since Musk first announced the futuristic pickup, other carmakers have taken over the market, including Rivian and GMC.

As of July, Ford had sold nearly 4,500 electric pickups. This follows reports that Ford is preparing to start taking new orders for the F-150 Lightning and plans to raise the price of the 2023 model by $8,500.

Last month, Farley told industry analysts on the company's earnings call that he thought Ford was the only company that could challenge Tesla.