automotive

Ford One-Ups General Motors In World's EV Capital

Gunnar Berg, managing director, Ford Norway, sits in the frunk (front trunk) of an F-150 Lightning.


General Motors enlisted Will Ferrell a few years ago with an electric vehicle campaign focused on Norway with the battle cry “No Way, Norway!”

In the 2021 Super Bowl spot, Ferrell goes on a rampage, angered over the fact that  Norway sells more electric vehicles per capita than the United States. The spot, from McCann Worldgroup, shows Ferrell, who enlists Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina, in an effort to “crush those lugers.”

Now, in an ironic turn of events, crosstown rival Ford is debuting its F-150 Lightning in Norway in response to “impassioned consumer demand.”

Maybe you have to be in automotive marketing to get it, but the press release boasting of the effort takes a subtle jab at GM with the headline “Yes, Norway!” 

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Norwegian customers can apply to buy one of a limited number of F-150 Lightning Lariat Launch Edition trucks, “perfectly suited to Norway’s terrain, outdoor spirit and EV passion,” according to the automaker.

Another Ford EV, the Mustang Mach-E, now available in 39 global markets, emerged as a best seller in Norway in 2021 (after GM's Super Bowl spot aired) and continues to be among the top five vehicles in the market since then.

“In my 25 years at Ford, I’ve never seen anything like the passion and demand I’m seeing from drivers right now to get behind the wheel of our F-150 Lightning,” said Gunnar Berg, managing director, Ford Norway, in a release. “I’ve had customers literally banging on my door and pleading for us to bring the electric pickup to Norway.”

Introducing the F-150 Lightning pickup to Europe in the world’s most advanced electric vehicle market, where 80% of new car sales are electric, is the latest step in the company’s electrification strategy. Last year, the company announced that it is targeting zero emissions for all vehicle sales in Europe and carbon neutrality across its European footprint of facilities, logistics and suppliers by 2035.

Ford is committed to leading the electric vehicle revolution, investing more than $50 billion globally through 2026 to electric vehicles and targeting a production run rate of 2 million electric vehicles globally by the end of that year. The automaker says it expects EVs to be half of its global vehicle sales volume by 2030 and is on track to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2050.

Deliveries in Norway will start next year. It will be sold through the Ford-authorized dealer network across more than 70 specialized Ford EV dealers in Norway with full EV infrastructure and capability to serve every F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit customers.

Incidentally, GM’s humorous “anti-Norway” campaign resulted in some pushback from the Scandinavian country and the automotive divisions based there, so maybe it’s no surprise that the country’s residents are clamoring for Ford vehicles. 

Audi’s Norway division enlisted Norwegian actor and “Game of Thrones” star Kristoffer Hivju for a series of videos from Oslo-based creative agency POL.

“Norway is a peace-loving nation, but we strongly felt that the GM hate campaign deserved a swift response, of course with a touch of humor,” Audi Norway said in a statement at the time.

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