Ford And Ferrari Left Tesla, Rivian, Every Other Auto Rival In The Dust In H1 — Here's How They Did It

• Ford and Ferrari were the only major auto stocks in the green in H1, with Ford up 8% and Ferrari up 3%.
• Ford’s rally was powered by Ford Energy, its new $2 billion battery-storage arm targeting AI data centers, utilities and industrial customers.
• Ferrari stayed green despite backlash to Luce, its 550,000-euro first EV, with Morningstar saying its EV strategy “remains coherent.”

Ford and Ferrari were the only major auto stocks in the green at the end of the first half, standing out in a sector hit by slowing electric-vehicle demand, weaker car sales and investor fatigue around costly EV bets.

Ford rose about 8% in the first half, and Ferrari gained 3%, while rivals slipped into the red: Tesla fell 7%, Rivian dropped 11%, General Motors declined 6%, and Stellantis plunged 48%. 

Ford: Batteries Became The New AI Trade 

Ford’s edge came from a fresh growth story: energy storage. The automaker recently launched Ford Energy with a $2 billion investment, aiming to turn batteries once meant for EVs into stationary storage systems for AI data centers, utilities and industrial customers. 

“There’s been increased attention on their ability to utilize some of the energy capabilities that they have,” Citi said. BNP Paribas called it “a true repurposing of excess battery cell capacity,” while adding that Ford must prove demand quickly. Ford Energy targets at least 20 gigawatt-hours of annual deployments, while its EDF deal covers up to 4 gigawatt-hours a year beginning in 2028. BNP said Ford would need “five more of those types of awards” to gain “supreme confidence” in the target.

A CATL partnership added to the bullish case. Ford is licensing CATL’s low-cost lithium iron phosphate battery tech in the U.S., an advantage UBS said it does not believe others can easily replicate.

Ford also got a supply-chain boost from the restart of Novelis’ Oswego aluminum plant, a key supplier for F-150 bodies. A Ford spokesman called it “positive progress,” while warning that the outage was “a clear reminder of the distress facing many automotive suppliers today.” BNP said Ford still needs “record levels of production the rest of the year” to recover lost F-Series volume.

Ferrari: A Polarizing EV Could Not Dent The Luxury Moat

Ferrari’s U.S.-listed stock remained green despite fierce backlash against Luce, its first all-electric vehicle. The 550,000-euro, five-seat EV, designed with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, marked a sharp break from Ferrari tradition. Critics mocked its glass-heavy design, compared it with cheaper EVs and questioned whether an electric Ferrari could carry the same emotional pull as the brand’s combustion-engine icons.

“We wanted to do what we hadn’t been able to do before,” Chairman John Elkann said. He also admitted: “It doesn’t look like what you would imagine a sports car to be.” Even Luce had a cost-and-performance angle. Ferrari has started using aluminum wiring in models including the Luce, reducing total wiring weight by up to 20%. 

Morningstar said Luce sparked investor skepticism, but Ferrari’s broader EV strategy “remains coherent.” The firm said Luce is an addition to Ferrari’s lineup, not a replacement for its combustion and hybrid core, and said that its high price point should help protect margins if the order book builds. Morningstar expects internal-combustion and hybrid vehicles to still make up 80% of Ferrari’s offered vehicle mix in 2030.

The takeaway is that Ferrari is not chasing EV volume but testing EV demand at luxury margins. Morgan Stanley said demand remains strongest in special series and scarce collectibles. Ferrari also kept reinforcing its brand machine, renewing its multi-year agreement with Formula One star Charles Leclerc and appointing former BMW Group Italy chief Massimiliano Di Silvestre as chief marketing and commercial officer.

EV Winter Left The Rest Of The Clan Behind

Ford and Ferrari stood out because the broader auto sector spent H1 fighting the same drag: the EV boom cooled sharply. U.S. EV sales fell 27% year-over-year in Q1 to 216,000 units, according to Cox Automotive. Meanwhile, the IEA said global electric car sales fell 8% year over year in Q1, mainly due to weakness in China and the U.S.

Tesla struggled with softer core auto growth, high valuation, and long timelines for robotaxis and AI. Rivian remained under pressure from ramp costs and capital needs despite the start of R2 deliveries. Stellantis was hurt by EV-related charges and a reset. General Motors incurred EV realignment costs and faced mixed demand, while Toyota’s hybrid strength was not enough to escape sector-wide pressure.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About F And RACE?

On Stocktwits, Ford’s retail sentiment flipped to ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’ six months ago, with message volume up 164% over the past three months, even as its watcher base edged up just 0.1%. 

Ferrari’s sentiment has improved to ‘neutral’ from ‘bearish’ over the same period, despite a 78% drop in message volume over the past month. Meanwhile, its watcher base has jumped 13% over the past year, signaling healthy retail interest. 

While F stock has risen 34% over the past year, RACE stock has declined 21% over the same period. 

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