Ford CEO Alan Mulally and General Motors’ chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre have agreed to work together to support the car industry, Mulally told the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.
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The decision of the two – both car industry outsiders – followed a call from Whitacre to Mulally earlier this month when the former boss of AT&T asked the former Boeing boss for advice, said Mulally.
Mulally, 64, also told the congress that he has no plans to retire soon.
“As long as I’m contributing and Ford wants me here, I’m here,” he said. Earlier, he told reporters at the Detroit show he would retire only when the job was no longer fun and would not leave for another car maker.
He also said that, while Ford was planning a complete range of electric vehicles, the idea of electrification will have to become more popular among consumers before automakers can go forward with it at any volume. Ford, he said, was looking to team up with as many electric suppliers as possible to bring the electric car to the forefront.
At a separate media event, Mulally said: “There is nothing worse than overcapacity in the industry and we still have overcapacity. It’s hard to expect rational behaviour when you have overcapacity.”
Ford is taking out production capacity in North America, consolidating three plants over two years to bring it in line with demand.
Mulally also said Ford was unlikely to compete with Tata’s Nano by building a similar-sized car for Asia but could produce something slightly bigger.
