Bill Ford, chairman of the company that bears his name, said that Ford had made major progress on four key major initiatives over the last 12 months and would be profitable by 2009.
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Those initiatives concentrated on global marketing, global product development, a continued drive for sustainability and attacking Ford’s cost structure.
On the last point, the historic agreement with the UAW, the auto workers union, had allowed Ford to concentrate on new products for North America while Europe, Asia and South America were already profitable.
Ford was the first car company to appoint a senior vice president for sustainability and he had personally invited leading people from outside the car industry to form a ‘think tank’ – the Transformation Advisory Council – to meet several times a year and help formulate Ford’s strategy.
“One hundred years ago here my great grandfather announced a new car at this show, a car which changed the world. That car was the Model T.
“Today we can do the same,” he said.
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By GlobalDataFord unveiled the Verve concept – already seen in Europe as the Fiesta replacement – as a four door saloon for North America. Ford also shipped over a three-door European version of the Verve to gauge reaction from US buyers.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally said that the feeling inside Ford today was very different “in a really good way” from a year ago.
“Our production is now much closer to demand and we’ve removed a lot of complexity,” he said. By the end of 2008, 70% of Ford’s line-up in North America would be new, he said. New cars for North America include the Flex crossover, two new hybrids, the Fusion and Milan, a new flagship Lincoln and the F-150 pick-up.
Ford of Europe’s expertise in small cars was helping Ford find a new segment in the US. “We make the best small cars in Europe, now it’s the US’s turn to have them,” said group vice president of marketing and communications Jim Farley.
“Verve is a concept but a pretty clear window into our future and a very significant car for Ford.”
