RIYADH: Ford’s leadership has signaled a new ambition to make the brand the “Porsche of off-road,” having used Saudi Arabia’s grueling Dakar Rally terrain to to hone their technology into a new lineup of off-road vehicles.

“Porsche has dominated the enthusiast automotive industry for a long time, and Ford, we have the ambition to be the Porsche of off-road,” Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company CEO, told Arab News. 

“There’s no more important off-road race in the world than Dakar,” he said, as the endurance event came to a close in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

“We want to link the Dakar racing vehicles, our T1 Raptors to something that people can buy, not just a Raptor pickup truck, but a whole new lineup that people have not seen before. So, Dakar is really the inspiration for our future off-road lineup,” he added. 

Speaking on what the future holds for Ford racing and how Saudi Arabia’s terrain impacts vehicle innovation and engineering, Farley said: “I think it’s a story still playing out. The Baja race very much inspired the creation of a global Raptor brand.”

The CEO said that the company wants to create direct engagement between Ford and Dakar, so that consumers feel like they are purchasing a piece of Dakar when they buy a vehicle. 

“Toyota took the lead in off-road because the products were functional. And yes, they’ve been racing for a long time in Dakar. But I don’t think most people who buy the Toyota brand for off-road products imagine they’re buying a piece of Dakar.” 

The CEO highlighted the influential role Dakar plays in Ford’s future off-road lineup, describing the race as the Formula 1 and Le Mans of off-roading. 

“You’re going to see more and more products from Ford that are not utilitarian. Vehicles used to just get from point A to point B off road, but literally they’re designed to give people a piece of the racing technology similar to what portion Ferrari have done on the on road side.”

On the sidelines of the 2026 Dakar Rally, Farley reflected on what he called a “heartening” experience in the Saudi desert. After spending a night camping in a tent without electricity, he spoke of being moved by the profound solitude of the dunes and the deep dedication of the Saudi people to their cultural roots.

“I was very struck by the people I met in the desert the last couple of days. It’s just a sea of young people who kind of return to their roots as a culture out in the desert to enjoy this beautiful place as a social activity, and motorsports is that connection for them,” he said. 

“And I found that very appealing for me as an automobile executive that our industry is the kind of industry that can that can make a connection between the cultural, authentic cultural norms here in the Kingdom. 

“And it really struck me how interesting and important it is for the Saudi people to be connected to this beautiful desert, this beautiful resource you have, but doing so through motorsports, not necessarily through the traditional way of enjoying the desert. I found that very heartening in our world, where people had their shoes off, their feet in the sand and enjoying this beautiful place.”

Comparing a Dakar victory to winning Le Mans or a Formula 1 World Championship, Farley described the race as the “missing jewel” in its storied motorsports crown.

Highlighting why Dakar remains the most important off-road race in the world, the CEO said: “Because it’s global. If you go to Spain and Portugal, and Italy and France, and Thailand and South Africa, and around the world, people know what the Dakar race is.

“They know how difficult it is to win here. They understand the technology required to win here.

“It’s not something in North America. But if you want to create an off-road enthusiast brand for people who love the joy of driving off-road fast, there is no other event.

“But it’s equally compelling because it’s so difficult to win,” he said. 

Dakar came to a close on Saturday, after passing through AlUla, Hail, Wadi Ad-Dawasir, Bisha and Al-Henakiyah, and ending in Yanbu. 

Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah won ​the Dakar Rally for the sixth time in the car category on Saturday as Argentina’s Luciano Benavides won by two seconds on two wheels, the narrowest margin ever.

Ford’s Nani Roma finished second, nine minutes and 42 seconds behind, and teammate Mattias Ekstrom was third after winning the final stage.

“There is an element about this race, like Le Mans, that comes down to kind of fortune and persistence. Do you try long enough and hard enough? Because it only takes one small mistake, one part to break, one driver error for navigation to lose the race,” Farley said.