Tesla is still the benchmark in EVs, and some rivals will fail or be bought, says former Ford CEO

• Tesla is still the EV market benchmark, according to former Ford CEO Mark Fields.

• He told CNBC on Thursday that some of the smaller players in the field risk failing or being bought by rivals.

• It's only going to get tougher, especially at the high end price range where competition is stiff, Fields said.

Tesla is still the benchmark for the electric vehicle market and smaller players are at risk of failing or being swallowed up by larger peers, according to former Ford chief executive Mark Fields.

He told CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday that some of the smaller companies like Lucid run the risk of being taken over by bigger companies among the growing pack of EV makers.

"I think every automaker still benchmarks Tesla as the leader at this point," Fields said.