When the U.S. president says he wants to drive your new truck, you do whatever it takes to give him the opportunity. That’s exactly what Ford’s PR department found out earlier this week.
Speaking to Automotive News, Ford’s head of communications, Mark Truby, revealed that his team had to hustle to make the president’s test drive possible.
As you might expect, when the president comes over, they aren’t exactly hanging out waiting to see what there is to do. Presidential visits are planned weeks in advance as was the case with Biden’s speech at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.
Although the idea of letting the Joe Biden, a self-described car guy, drive the F-150 Lightning had been offered early on in the planning, it was shot down by his office. It seems that the POTUS really wanted to, though.
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On Monday, less than a day before the president’s speech, officials contacted Ford and said he might want to drive the truck. The Ford team scrambled. They managed to find a prototype nearby and hauled it to their Dearborn test track, less than five miles from the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.
The Secret Service prohibits presidents from driving on public roads during (and after) their presidency, but on a test track, where the press can hang out for soundbites, it’s a different story. Come Tuesday, the day of the speech, Ford still didn’t know if Biden would actually drive the truck.
“It was an audible by the president,” Truby said. “It turned out to be pretty serendipitous.”
On Tuesday, Biden was given a tour, was shown the F-150 Lightning’s capabilities, as well as an uncamouflaged prototype a day before its official reveal, and finally decided to drive the truck. The president’s seal of approval was laid on the F-150 Lightning, which is undoubtedly worth quite a few dollars in free advertising; moreover, Biden remarked that “this sucker is quick”, estimated the 0-60 time in 4.3 or 4.4 seconds, although a Ford representative would neither confirm or deny this allegation.
Ford CEO Jim Farley offered to ride alongside the president but he was outranked by the Secret Service, a member of which can be seen in videos alongside the president.
Although Biden won’t be able to drive his beloved Corvette on public roads anymore, you don’t have to feel too bad for him. After all, he got to drive the F-150 Lightning before anyone else outside of Ford.
“It’s definitely a presidential perk,” said Truby.