Ford CEO Loves Chinese Cars, Doesn't Want You To Have One

Good morning! It's Tuesday, April 14, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning's edition, Ford CEO Jim Farley thinks Chinese EVs are too scawwy for the U.S. market, Uber has a second driver sexual assault trial to contend with, Slate Auto raised $650 million ahead of pickup launch and Lucid has a new CEO.

Ford CEO Jim Farley loves Chinese electric vehicles. Hell, he even daily drove a Chinese-built Xiaomi SU7 and said he didn't want to give it back. Unfortunately, he doesn't feel the American consumer should enjoy such privileges and is now saying Chinese automakers shouldn't ever be allowed to sell their cars in the U.S. because it would be "devastating" for American manufacturing. He also pointed to security concerns as a reason for his opinion, something he didn't seem too worried about as he drove his SU7 around Michigan for over half a year.

Of course, the U.S. currently has a 100% tariff on Chinese-built vehicles, which has essentially made them non-viable for sale in this market, which is a damn shame. The pressure is on, though, because our neighbors to the north and south — Canada and Mexico — are importing EVs from China. It's clearly got Farley worried. From Bloomberg:

"We should not let them into our country," Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said Monday during an appearance on Fox News' Fox & Friends show. "Manufacturing is the heart and soul of our country and for us to lose that to those exports would be devastating to our country."

[...]

"I sure hope we don't allow them to come across the border," Farley said of Canada's Chinese cars. Keeping these vehicles out of America should have a "big impact" on upcoming negotiations to rework the trade deal between the US, Canada and Mexico, he added.

The comments are some of Farley's toughest yet about the threat posed by Chinese automakers. The Ford leader contends the "huge direct support" Chinese carmakers receive from their government gives them an unfair advantage to slash prices and decimate domestic automakers in the US. "There is no way this is a fair fight," he said on Fox.

Farley also talked about the perceived national security risk that comes with allowing Chinese vehicles on U.S. roads. It's an argument I find hilarious, because to believe in it, you've got to ignore the fact that every other piece of tech we own is already made in China. This is something Farley clearly did.

"All of these vehicles have 10 cameras," Farley said. "They can collect a lot of data."

Back in January, President Trump told the Detroit Economic Club he was willing to "Let China come in" as long as they built factories and hired American workers. Following that talk, Farley spoke with administration officials, saying that Chinese automakers should have joint ventures with U.S. OEMs, where the U.S. companies hold controlling stakes in order to build cars in America.

There's nothing a free market capitalist loves more than protectionism.

Following a recent $8.5 million verdict in an Arizona sexual assault trial, Uber will head back to federal court — this time in North Carolina — to face a second woman's claims that she was sexually assaulted by a driver that she booked through the company's app.

The trial, which is expected to last about three weeks, will help determine if that Arizona verdict was a one-off or a sign of things to come for Uber. It's facing over 3,300 similar lawsuits that have been consolidated in federal court. From Reuters:

Both cases are so-called "bellwethers," or test cases for that litigation, and the verdicts could help determine the value of ​the remaining lawsuits for any potential settlement or resolution of the cases en masse.

The anonymous plaintiff claims that upon ⁠arriving at her destination in Raleigh, North Carolina, just before 2 a.m. in March 2019, her Uber driver grabbed her inner thigh and ​asked if he could "keep it with him," prompting her to flee from the vehicle.

Uber, which has faced numerous safety controversies, has not denied that the ​incident took place, but claims in court filings that it is a software company and not a "common carrier" such as a taxi service that has a legal duty to protect passengers under North Carolina law. Even if the plaintiff proves otherwise, Uber argues, the company is not liable for the actions of an independent contractor.

The question ​of whether drivers are Uber's employees or contractors, which has a range of legal implications, has dogged the company for most of its existence ​in the U.S. and abroad. A deluge of lawsuits and scrutiny by policymakers has not yielded a consensus.

[...]

In a statement Friday, an Uber spokesperson said the incident in the North Carolina trial was never reported to the company or to law enforcement and only came to light when the plaintiff filed a lawsuit."

Sexual assault is a horrific crime that we take incredibly seriously. We remain focused on investing in the technology, policies, and partnerships that strengthen ​safety, help prevent harm, and support ​survivors," the spokesperson said.

[...]

The plaintiff in the first case to go to trial, an Oklahoma resident, claimed an Uber driver in Arizona harassed and then raped her during a ride in ​2023.

In February, a jury found that the driver was an agent of Uber, and that means the company was responsible for his actions. They awarded the woman $8.5 million in compensatory damages. However, they declined to award any putative damages, for which her attorneys sought more than $140 million.

The company is facing more than 500 additional similar cases in the California state court. In September of last year, it won the only trial to take place thus far in the court cases. The jury found it had failed to put measures in place to protect the plaintiff's safety, but that negligence wasn't a substantial factor in causing her harm.

The Jeff Bezos-backed cheap electric vehicle startup, Slate Auto, just raised a boatload of money in an effort to bring its $27,000-ish truck to market by the end of the year. TWG Global is pouring an additional $650 million into the nascent brand, increasing what it has already thrown into the pot.

Right now, there's still no word on exactly how much the truck will cost. Slate says it'll let the public know in June when it starts taking online orders. It did say that over 160,000 people have slapped down a $50 refundable deposit for the bare-bones pickup. From Bloomberg:

Slate, which named a new chief executive officer last month, wants to tap consumer demand for more affordable vehicles with a stripped-down, two-seater pickup that can go 150 or 240 miles on a single charge. That goal was challenged after Congress eliminated a $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs last year that would have subsidized the cost of the vehicle. 

"Maybe we get a tailwind because of oil prices, but we're not dependent on oil prices, we're not dependent upon any kind of government incentives," CEO Peter Faricy said in an interview with Bloomberg Television Monday. "We're really customer focused."

[...]

Slate is investing $400 million to convert an idled printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana, for vehicle production. It's also setting up a separate facility in Louisville, Kentucky, to do color wraps of the trucks, since there is no paint shop on its production line, Faricy said.

In March, Slate named Faricy, an Amazon.com Inc. veteran and former chief executive officer of solar company SunPower Corp., as CEO. One of his goals is to develop an online marketplace where third parties can develop and sell accessories to truck owners. He replaced Chris Barman, a former Fiat Chrysler engineer, who is remaining with the company to spearhead the truck launch.

Slate claims it'll be able to deliver the truck for the price it's been mentioning because it's drastically streamlined the manufacturing process. The truck apparently uses about 700 components, which is less than half of the typical count. It also makes just one variant of the truck at its Indiana assembly plant. All other customizations and add-ons happen off the line.

It's a neat concept, for sure. I'm just not sold quite yet.

Lucid, maker of some of the best cars in the biz, has a new CEO right as it looks to ramp up production and sales of its Air sedan and Gravity crossover, all while preparing to launch three lower-cost mid-size crossovers and a robotaxi partnership with Uber and Nuro. Needless to say, Silvio Napoli has his work cut out for him. From Reuters:

Napoli was till recently the chairman and CEO of Schindler, where he was widely credited with modernizing the elevator and escalator maker's global ​supply chain and overseeing its aggressive expansion into Asian markets.

He ​will take charge from interim CEO Marc Winterhoff, who will ⁠continue with the company as its chief operating officer.

[...]

Lucid has recently faced persistent supply chain disruptions, including issues with a supplier quality issue with second-row ​seats that hampered deliveries in the first quarter.

Separately on Tuesday, Lucid ​expanded its robotaxi partnership with Uber. The ride-hailing firm will increase its commitment to ‌at ⁠least 35,000 Lucid vehicles and invest an additional $200 million in Lucid.

The autonomous vehicle industry represents a new avenue for automakers to bolster operations and tap into a market that analysts say will grow exponentially in ​the future.

The company ​has also been ⁠working to reduce costs, strengthen its balance sheet and increase profitability by optimizing supply chains and reducing workforce.

Lucid has ​been raising money with the help of Saudi ​Arabia's Public ⁠Investment Fund, its largest shareholder, in a bid to stay afloat in an industry which requires heavy amounts of cash burn.

Napoli will receive an annual salary of $1.5 million, but there's the potential for more money if the company does well. There are also stock options linked to market capitalization hurdles, the Newark, California-based company said in a regulatory filing.

History.com

Sure, this is what the history books want you to believe about the Lincoln assassination, but what if there was a lot more at play here, and what if it had to do with "Cabaret"? These are all questions that are answered by Cole Escola's "Oh, Mary!" — a Broadway play I've gotta insist you go see if you get the opportunity. There are few things I've ever laughed harder at, and I've now seen it three times. I won't give too much away, but I will say that Mary Todd's hands may not be clean. 

Anyway, if you want to learn what actually (probably) happened during the Lincoln assassination, head over to History.com.

As things in the Middle East continue to be ever-so-slightly less contentious, gas prices prices have proceeded their slow descent back toward normalcy. It's not all great news, though, as WTI Crude Oil futures and Brent Crude are still in near the $100-mark, but we'll take what we can get.

All of this is to say that the average price of a gallon of gas decreased by another cent overnight to $4.12, according to AAA. It means that, overall, the price has dropped five cents from its most recent peak on April 9.

Still, it's hard to ignore how elevated these prices are. The last time gas was over $4.12 per gallon — historically speaking — was back in July of 2022, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. The average price of a gallon of gas is now up $1.14 — or about 38.3% — since the war first broke out on February 28, when it was $2.98.

Here's where national average prices stand right now, according to AAA:

AAA

Friends, we're in the midst of a string of absolutely gorgeous Spring days here in New York City, and it's got me feeling on top of the world. Because of that, The Radio requires an unparalleled banger from one of the best to ever do it: George Harrison. For most of the country, we've had an incredibly long Winter, and, while the world may not be so great, take four minutes, crank this song and just enjoy how lovely out it is. You deserve that, at the very least.