Currently reading: Podcast: The Ford family on nepotism, EVs and Red Bull

Steve Cropley sits down with the two generations of Ford family tasked with its move to electrification

In this bonus podcast, Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley meets the Fords. Yes, those ones, whose name is above the door at Ford Motor Company.

Ford remains the only major car maker to have been led and controlled by its founding family for the entirety of its existence, in this case 122 years and counting. Steve Cropley recently sat down with Bill Ford – executive chairman and only the fourth Ford family member to sit at the top of the company – and his two sons, Will Ford, general manager of Ford Performance, and Nick Ford, director of corporate strategy.

In a wide-ranging discussion, the quartet discuss improving Ford’s passenger car “robustness” in Europe; Ford’s enduring commitment to racing, including becoming Red Bull’s Formula 1 engine supplier; the move to electrification and why you can’t make people buy cars they don’t want; the Transit; what it’s like to run a family business the size of Ford; and why it’s not a family employment agency; plus their favourite cars, and more besides.

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Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes. 

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