Benzinga - Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley seems to have irked Tesla, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) fanbase with his comments about the Cybertruck during a TV interview this week.
What Happened: Farley suggested that he isn't too worried about the Cybertruck, Tesla's hotly anticipated electric pickup truck due to be launched later this year.
"We are the market leader for EV trucks and vans, and we know those customers better than anyone," said the Ford CEO in an interview with CNBC Mad Money host Jim Cramer Tuesday.
"And if [Elon Musk] wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine," he said, equating the vehicle to a "cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel."
"But I don't make trucks like that. I make trucks for real people who do real work, and that's a different kind of truck."
Ford has its version of an electric pickup truck in the F-150 Lightning, which is already in the market.
Twitterati Reacts: When Farley's comments were shared on Twitter users, several Tesla fans chimed in with their thoughts.
One of them shared a screenshot of ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's comments on Apple Inc‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone way back in 2007 when it was launched.
"There's no chance the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No Chance," Ballmer said then. Twitterati also pointed out that BlackBerry CEO said the same when the iPhone was launched.
Another said Farley may have to just "put his foot in his mouth."
"Cybertruck is going to exceed far anyone's expectations. Truly amazing machine!"
A disgruntled Cybertruck reservation holder, however, was cynical. "Damn! He got a point too and I actually put a deposit on the Cybertruck nearly a decade ago (seems like that long)," he said.
Why It's Important: Tesla users see the launch of Cybertruck as the iPhone moment for the company. Tesla bulls are optimistic as well.
Future Fund's Gary Black said, "When a new product creates news like Cytruck will in 4Q, potential EV customers will go to the $TSLA website or TSLA store, and the entire brand lineup benefits.”
Recently a Tesla influencer spotted the Cybertruck landing in New Zealand for winter testing, lending credence to views that the EV could roll out in the late third quarter.
Tesla closed Wednesday's session down 5.46% at $259.46, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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