Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is throwing his support behind President Donald Trump’s push to make cars more affordable, praising the administration’s reset of federal fuel-economy standards and calling the move a win for both consumers and the industry.
According to FOX Business, Farley appeared on Fox & Friends on Thursday, telling the hosts that the overhaul marks a major shift toward practicality for American buyers.
“What you should know is that this is a victory for affordability and common sense,” Farley said. “As the president said, we will be able to offer more affordability on our popular models, and we’ll be able to launch new vehicles built in America that are more affordable because of this rule change.”
He argued that previous requirements put automakers in an impossible position.
“Frankly, [the Corporate Average Fuel Economy] was totally out of touch with the market reality. We were forced to sell EVs and other vehicles. We’re not going back to gas-guzzlers,” he said. “We have a lot of EVs and a lot of hybrids at Ford, but now customers get a chance to choose what they want, not by what we force on them.”
Farley’s comments came less than 24 hours after he joined Trump in the Oval Office for the official announcement. The administration said the reset would save “$109 billion in total” for American families.
During the White House event, Trump blasted the previous rules as part of what he called a misguided environmental push.
“People were brainwashed. This is a ‘green new scam,’” Trump said. “And people were paying too much for a car that didn’t work as well. And now they’re gonna have a great car that’s gonna be environmentally friendly, but it’s gonna cost you a lot less and it’s gonna work great. All of the nonsense is being taken out of the cars.”
Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards were first created in 1975 to regulate how efficiently U.S. automakers build their fleets.
Trump rolled back aggressive Obama-era increases during his first term, but the Biden administration later tightened them again — raising requirements by about 8% for 2024 and 2025 models, and another 10% for 2026.
The Trump White House has argued that those steep increases would push consumers toward electric vehicles and add nearly $1,000 to the average cost of a new car. Officials said the restored standards would lift that burden and return savings to buyers.
Farley suggested the administration’s moves — along with adjustments to tariffs — will lead to continued price declines.
“I think the combination of some of the adjustments to tariffs as well as these, basically, fuel economy standards being more reasonable with the market, you’re gonna start to see prices continue to fall,” he said.
“I think you’ll see going into the end of this year and early part of next year, prices for cars will come down,” Farley added. “We can build, basically, what America wants, and what America wants is affordable vehicles. You know, our affordable range in November was up 25%. The market was down. So that’s what Americans want to buy.”
