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Auto experts say the electric F-150, known as the Lightning, must be successful for Ford to succeed in the era of electric vehicles. Promoting this truck now is tantamount to “betting the company,” said William C. Ford Jr., chairman of the company’s board of directors, Henry Ford’s great-grandson. “If this launch doesn’t go well, we could taint the entire franchise.”

The company has amassed nearly 200,000 bookings for trucks, but it can still stumble. Production could slow down due to a global chip shortage or rising costs of lithium, nickel and other raw materials vital to batteries. The software Ford has developed for the truck may be flawed. Blocks the sale of a new electric Volkswagen in 2020.

Ford and Mr. Farley have some things to do. Unlike many other electric cars, the F-150 Lightning is relatively affordable – starting at $40,000. Tesla’s cheapest car is the compact Model 3 sedan, with prices starting at $48,000. Lightning has tons of storage, including a giant front trunk that appeals to families and businesses with large truck fleets. And Tesla Not starting to build your Cybertruck until next year.

Ford is also already in the EV game with the Mustang Mach-E, an electric sports utility vehicle. It sold more than 27,000 copies in 2021, its first year on the market, and received positive reviews.

Production of the F-150 Lightning is scheduled to begin next Monday. Ford’s main competitors in pickups, General Motors, Stellantis, and rival models from Toyota are at least a year away. Rivian, a newer manufacturer in which Ford has invested, has started selling an electric truck but is struggling to increase production.

“If the lightning launch goes well, we have a huge opportunity,” said Mr. Ford.

‘Jimmy Car-Car’

In many ways, Mr. Farley checks most of the boxes when it comes to leading a major US automaker. Like GM’s CEO, Mary T. Barra, whose father worked on a Pontiac assembly line, Mr. Farley’s family roots were in this industry: His grandfather worked at a Ford plant. Visiting his grandfather, he would tour Ford factories and other places important to the company’s history. When he was 15, while working in California one summer, he bought a Mustang and took it to Michigan without a license. His grandfather nicknamed him “Jimmy Car-Car”.

But like the South African Mr. Musk, founder of PayPal and other companies, Mr. Farley has had a varied career and has been involved in job creation. Born in Argentina while his father worked as a banker, Mr. Farley, 59, also lived in Brazil and Canada while growing up. His career started not in the auto industry, but at IBM. spent Long road at Toyota. He helped the Japanese automaker overcome its reputation for making boring and economical cars by working on the fledgling Lexus luxury brand, which has now become a powerhouse.