Dispatches from Ford vs. Tesla

For those of you who are just tuning in... 

Part 2: These are clips from a 28-minute drive.

There’s a difference between, “The software will get better when the NN has way more data,” vs. hardware ceiled Level 2 ADAS, as even Tesla now admits.

Tesla robotaxi dreamers will have to wait for cars with the proper HW. pic.twitter.com/4RBXCAcNcD

— Taylor Ogan (@TaylorOgan) March 16, 2021

While FSD is generating controversy for Tesla, the AV/EV space is finally starting to get competitive with lots of players entering the field, particularly VW in Europe and Ford in the US. This has become a very sensitive subject among Tesla fans.

Before we begin, one fact jumps right off the delivery report pages when we analyze the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s delivery volume. The Mach-E entered the market selling at about number 4 overall in the US EV market. Not bad for a new entry. Generally, automakers need six to nine months to reach peak production volumes of a given model, so the Mustang Mach-E could very well be the top-selling electric vehicle in America by later this year. Ford reports the Mustang Mach-E is a conquest model, and that 70% of the Mach-E's buyers come from competitive brands.

Now that you're up to speed.

BlueCruise! We tested it in the real world, so our customers don’t have to. pic.twitter.com/dgqVkWH31r

— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) April 14, 2021

Here, @elonmusk responds to the announcement of Ford’s competing BlueDrive ADAS system with a clip featuring CEO Jim Farley’s dead cousin Chris. https://t.co/aP0mdELiy6

— Russ Mitchell (@russ1mitchell) April 15, 2021

This is messed up of Elon Musk imo -- here, he's using a video of Ford CEO Jim Farley's deceased cousin, the exceedingly talented Chris Farley, to clap back over a bit of friendly brand competition. https://t.co/5QWZP3WYT2

— Lora Kolodny (@lorakolodny) April 14, 2021

Here's a good write up of the exchange from the Detroit Free Press.

And if you still think Elon Musk wouldn't play the dead relative card out of anger, just check with Business Insider's Linette Lopez or the good people at Wired.