Less drudge. More innovation. Own the problem. Find the sweet spot between volume, mix, and price when selling new vehicles. These are some of the stamps that Jim Hackett is trying to put on the Ford Motor Company in his first 100 days as CEO while he formulates a new strategy and plan for the 114-year-old automaker. Hackett replaced the ousted Mark Fields in May. The board of directors, frustrated after three years of declining stock, tapped Hackett for the job. He was a former board member until he joined the Ford management team to oversee the automaker’s new mobility unit. Hackett is also the retired CEO of Steelcase where he made a name for himself for his ability to see the future of the furniture industry and change the strategic direction of the company to meet it. Ford is hoping Hackett can better steer the company through the automotive waters that have become choppy with slowing sales, growing incentives, and the push for vehicles to be electric, connected, … [Read more...] about New Ford CEO Assessing Company, De-Stressing Employees in First 100 Days
New ford ceo
CAR interviews new Ford CEO Mark Fields (2014)
Mark Fields took over as CEO of Ford on 1 July 2014, replacing Alan Mulally. CAR magazine caught up with Fields shortly before he took over as the new Ford boss to find out what drives him – and spoke about his time running the now-defunct Premier Automotive Group, including stints overseeing Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda. It’s illuminating reading: Fields tells us how Ford considered basing Land Rovers on Ford SUVs and reveals how Ford found buyers for the Premier Automotive Group. Read on for extracts from our full interview.‘I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of things, and some of it was luck. Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. I’ve often taken on the less sexy assignments, stuff that needed fixing. I wanted to contribute to the company and learn and grow.‘I started at IBM, went back to business school and then came to Ford because I love cars. I bought a 1983 Datsun 280ZX – and I had to live at home to … [Read more...] about CAR interviews new Ford CEO Mark Fields (2014)
New Ford CEO shuffles pack: a new boss for Europe
Ford of Europe will have a new boss in 2015 with Jim Farley, one of the Blue Oval’s big hitters from the US, taking over the reins from Stephen Odell. Meanwhile, Odell becomes executive vice president for global marketing, Farley’s old role. It’s essentially a job swap.This is new Ford CEO Mark Fields’ first reshuffle since taking over from Alan Mulally, who retired in July 2014.Farley won’t be short of things to do in his new job. Ford of Europe is having a tough time at the moment, suffering losses of $1.6bn in 2013 alone. Under attack from budget brands such as Kia and Hyundai reaching upwards as well as premium German brands stretching downwards, it’s under more pressure than ever.His main aims will be to push the brand towards profitable growth with yet more new models, cut costs and build Ford’s image in Europe – no small task. In particular he’ll be concentrating on the Middle East and Africa, as well as mainland … [Read more...] about New Ford CEO shuffles pack: a new boss for Europe
Ford CEO Predicts Sales Recovery by End of ’09
And I predict Ford CEO Alan Mulally will be proven wrong. Of course, I could be wrong about Mulally being wrong. I mean, I’m the not-so-proverbial nutter in the attic. Big Al’s probably got an entire building full of MBA-owning sales analysts doing nothing but crunching numbers (and hanging out by the water cooler talking about how TTAC talked about them hanging out by the water cooler). I base my false dawn dismissal on three main facts. First, Detroit’s been blowing smoke up the media’s ass since The Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates by two runs to clinch the inaugural World Series. If not before. I don’t trust a word they say. Second, same again, only this time not discounting the fact the automakers may actually believe their own delusions. Which is some deeply scary shit. Still. And third, housing starts.TTAC’s own Ken Elias first gave me the heads-up on Motown’s final descent into bankruptcy two years ago. That’s when he … [Read more...] about Ford CEO Predicts Sales Recovery by End of ’09
Ford CEO: Light Trucks are Toast
In a video interview with USA Today. Ford CEO Alan Mulally admits that American consumers' switch to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles is permanent. Despite talking-up the new F150's chances of success, Big Al reckons the move from light trucks is "not a temporary shunning of big SUVs while they wait for record fuel prices to drop." Which Mulally says ain't gonna happen, anyway. "It's not like we have a shortage of oil, but recovering what's left under the earth has become very expensive, ensuring continuing high prices." When asked for a new date for The Blue Oval's scheduled return to profitability– previously set at 2009– the former Boeing exec would only say it's delayed by a weak economy and the shift from "high value trucks" to smaller cars. The video clips are interesting to watch, and much less painful than anything from Lutz or Wagoneer. But the spin doesn't stop here. Asked about Volvo, Mulally claimed the ailing Swedish brand isn't for sale. Last April, … [Read more...] about Ford CEO: Light Trucks are Toast
It’s Official: The New Ford GT Will Race at Le Mans Next Year
Ford finally has made the announcement we’ve all been waiting for ever since the new Ford GT supercar made its debut at the Detroit auto show (if not before): The company will campaign a racing version of the new GT and will return to Le Mans for the 2016 race.The word came in a press announcement at Le Mans featuring Ford executive chairman Bill Ford, president and CEO Mark Fields, group vice president of global product development Raj Nair—all wearing matching Ford GT sweaters. Also on hand for the event was Chip Ganassi, who will lead Ford’s racing effort.The new Ford GT race car will make its on-track debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January, and it will compete in a full schedule in the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (TUSC). Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will run both two-car factory teams. Drivers have not yet been announced.Other partners include Multimatic Motorsports, Roush Yates Engines, … [Read more...] about It’s Official: The New Ford GT Will Race at Le Mans Next Year
Ford CEO Sees a Future for Hands-on Driving, but a New Patent Shows the Company Hedging Its Bets
If you believe certain segments of the media, we’ll soon be able to avoid the drudgery of turning a steering wheel, pressing and releasing pedals, and — gasp! — shifting gears.The inevitable onset of self-driving vehicles, tech aficionados and urbanists tell us, will bring traffic fatalities down to zero, somehow remove all congestion from the road, and turn our lives into a never-ending sojourn of blissful tranquility. Never again will you take that aimless and unprogrammed late-night drive, just for the hell of it. Never again will you bother with buying and owning a car. Automakers will simply turn their driverless cars loose, emptying driveways while filling streets with hands-off ride-sharing pods.Not so fast, says Ford’s newly minted CEO.While Jim Hackett, former chairman of Ford’s mobility arm and successor to former CEO Mark Fields, sees a future in autonomous driving technology and ride-sharing, that’s not the entirety of the … [Read more...] about Ford CEO Sees a Future for Hands-on Driving, but a New Patent Shows the Company Hedging Its Bets
Ford CEO Outlines New Vehicle Development Plan, Shifts Investments, Trims Fat (and Models)
After much speculation, Ford CEO Jim Hackett has finally outlined where his company’s dollars will be spent in the foreseeable future. Hackett spent his summer performing what Ford called a “four-month deep dive” into the company’s strategy and business operations to see what changes needed to be made. His conclusions? This may surprise a few readers, but Ford will continue building and selling automobiles.Alright, that isn’t a bombshell, but the brand is trying to frame itself as the Ford you’ve always trusted while also letting everyone know it’s still a “mobility company” with its eyes fixed on tomorrow. Without the public relations veneer, that plan translates into a reduced number of production models and trims, more money for electrification R&D, less for internal combustion engines, and a significant reduction in material costs.Hackett’s address also served to reassure the nervous … [Read more...] about Ford CEO Outlines New Vehicle Development Plan, Shifts Investments, Trims Fat (and Models)
Ex-Ford CEO Fields Tried to Oust Top Executive Before Being Fired, Report Claims
There’s been no shortage of hot takes on former Ford CEO Mark Fields’ sudden departure from the big office in Dearborn, but a new report sheds light on the drama occurring at the Blue Oval shortly before Fields “elected to retire.”Before his replacement by Jim Hackett, Fields reportedly attempted to fire Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, as a way of relieving growing scrutiny on his own performance. It didn’t go they way he had planned.According to sources who spoke with Automotive News, Fields sought permission from the company’s board of directors to fire Hinrichs during the week of May 14th. Just days earlier, the CEO was grilled by investors angry over the company’s 40-percent slide in stock value since Fields took the helm. Board members were also very curious as to his plans for the company’s future, as well his strategy to turn around Ford’s flagging financial fortunes.Hinrichs was the executive in charge … [Read more...] about Ex-Ford CEO Fields Tried to Oust Top Executive Before Being Fired, Report Claims
Ford CEO Mulally To Head Boeing Or Microsoft Soon?
The rumor mill has been grinding away as of late regarding the possible return of Ford CEO Alan Mulally to helm either one of two of Seattle’s many economic engines: Microsoft and Boeing. In the face of these rumors, Mulally has opted not to dispel the rampant speculation.Reuters was among those in attendance at an automotive conference in Wuhan, China, where Mulally’s response to being asked whether he was directly or indirectly approached by either company to take the wheel was, “I love serving Ford.” He added that there were no changes to the plan laid out for Ford to find a successor to the third longest serving CEO when he steps down at the end of 2014, though Reuters did report that the auto maker may be open to an earlier departure should Mulally accept an offer elsewhere.Since taking over Ford in 2006, Mulally helped steady the then-troubled company through his One Ford plan, which led to the sale of acquired brands — including Aston … [Read more...] about Ford CEO Mulally To Head Boeing Or Microsoft Soon?