The Ford Story: Bill Ford Tells CNNMoney How We Avoided Bankruptcy

Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company, was recently interviewed by CNNMoney’s Olivia Zaleski. The topics ranged from green technology to government regulation.

The latest interview, posted on CNNMoney.com on July 7, reveals the steps that Ford took several years ago that have made it the only U.S. car maker not to declare bankruptcy this year.

Click here or on the image below to watch this interview.

Bill Ford also shared his view of what customers want in green cars and green technologies. He put into perspective some of the current and potential future technologies, and what benefits they offer. Click on the play button below to watch this interview.
And finally, Zalesli asked Ford why the company has criticized the government for not having a coherent energy policy. Ford said that the new national standard for fuel economy announced last month was important, and outlined several other imitative that he feels are important for the future. Click on the play button below to watch this interview.

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31 Comments

Ahmed
July 2, 2009 at 7:43 pm

I think that now now i have become a believer in the steps Bill Ford has been trying to take the Ford Motor Company because as a young adult who is a real car enthusiast i am now more inclined to purchase a Ford made vehicle. Keep innovating Ford because sooner or later the public will recognize the steps the company has been taking to make more feul efficient cars that are also safe to drive.

Ahmed I. Maalin Reply

Jessie Chapa
July 10, 2009 at 11:06 am

We as customers can surely appreciate what Ford has done for modern transpotation. We can also think of ways to keep them from being considered for gov't bailouts, and bankrupcy by supplying fresh new ideas in design, marketabily, or safety. Reply

ron northup
July 4, 2009 at 9:01 pm

i think ford motor co. is going to make a full recovery in the auto market because they are making fuel efficient cars that will sell to the public and they also have the best truck line in the world to go along with there suvs Reply

Ralf Schramm (Duesseldorf/GER)
July 6, 2009 at 1:02 am

This is nothing really new. Ford Motor Company Europe is delivering all the time the required cars the public needs. Why not adapt the european cars and fit them for USmarket ? And in meantime develop the required new propulsions, either hybrid for midterm and electric in longterm. FMCE is doing so, because they are allways chased especially by the french carmakers. FRance was always high-price area for fuels, so it was necessary to develope low-consuming cars throughout the last 60 years. Now especially Renault decided to develop electric propulsion. When the US-carmakers recover and gain lead in "green" propulsion, this will become hard to tackle, cause the US economic power is still big enough.

With your new president we here in GER are still nervous, because if US turns "green", it might change a lot also for our "green" business, and also the green business we are just worldwide in lead. And be sure, we don't have that strong political leadership here as you have. Reply

Rodney
July 9, 2009 at 9:25 am

1 out of 3 big 3 isn't that bad. Ford saw the light. Thats why they survived. Reply

Tom McGuire
July 9, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Everything considered, I will never, ever buy a Ford product until which time Bill Ford and his ilk stop subsidizing the gay and lesbian agendas through continuous corporate contributions to their cause. I know old Henry has already turned over many times in his grave, but give him a break so he can rest in peace.
Nuff sais! Reply

DDavid
July 14, 2009 at 7:20 pm

Go take your bigoted comments & buy European, how about VW as it got its blessing from Adolf himself. You think like a Nazi so please go ahead & give all your money to the Germans-they will be happy to take it. Oh, by the way, VW does have interests in giving benefits to partner arrangements, but I know you will understand.... Reply

Kevin Rogers
July 14, 2009 at 11:32 pm

I'm not gay, but if your mind is that little that you can't see past your insecurities. Then it looks as though you will be missing a very well thought out and american built vehicle in your future. I'm sure that this not the real reason why you won't buy a Ford but this seems to be an easy excuse. As for Henry Ford he wasn't to keen on having minorities employed building his vehicles either. Does that offend you also? Does the Company need to go back to grass roots and do things the way they did it "in the good ole days". Think not, we are a progressive nation moving forward. Not evertyhing is agreeable but one thing is true. "Money is Money" and Ford Motor is in position where they can not leave any demographic group out. Survival in America is going to be harder and harder for any company, including what it is or where it is you work. We must learn to support all of AMERICAN companies and FORD MOTOR COMPANY is number one on my list for automobiles. Reply

Proud Ford Owner
July 9, 2009 at 7:35 pm

Ford, keep doing what you're doing. People will take notice soon and realize that immature acronyms like "Fix Or Repair Daily" do not determine how well a vehicle is really made. Reply

The Fid
July 10, 2009 at 12:24 am

Anyone who believes that any of the car companies were actually broke needs to open their eyes. Banks were not and are not broke, the car companies were not and are not broke. Two years earlier, all these companies were boasting their multi billion dollar a year profits. Ford was the only American auto company to refuse government bailout money, because they are the only ones who are at least honest enough not to steal more taxpayer dollars.
The current economic collapse did not occur because people are too stupid to manage their own affairs, it happened because of the unrelenting greed that large corporation owners and upper management have perpetrated for decades.
Research, folks, knowledge is power.

The Fid Reply

Jessie Chapa
July 10, 2009 at 10:50 am

I've driven Ford products for decades and they're the best all-around in all aspects of driving, service, maintenance, design, reliability, comfort, etc. I would like to know how I can help Ford Motor Company by giving them my ideas for improvements on future models. I only have a few dozen but I want to share any or all. How would I go about getting started? Reply

Scott Monty
July 10, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Hi Jessie - at this point, we don't have a formal online "suggestion box" but we do have a site for people with innovative ideas for our products. You can find Ford New Ideas at http://www.fordnewideas.com. - Scott Monty | Global Digital Communications | Ford Motor Company Reply

John Wesson
July 15, 2009 at 11:58 am

I''ve been a Ford guy for quite a while. I have one of the limited production 2000 ZX2 S/R models with 41K miles and i am looking forward to future offerings.

Ford could do more parts bin engineering to compete with the limited production high end models (Civic Si, Sentra SE-R, Scion tC, etc.) offered by the competetion. Why not build a Focus with the 175 HP 2.5 Duratec plus upgraded suspension and brakes ? Make the 180 HP EcoBoost engine available in the Fiesta. How about a RWD version of the 355HP EcoBoost V6 in the Mustang ? All these could be dine for a fraction of the cost of SVT programs.

The parts are there, the cababilities are there, i'm not sure why Ford doesn't offer more performance versions. it would get more people in the showrooms, even if they bought the mainstream models, build more credibility and separate Ford from the "other 2" which are sinking "lika a rock". Reply

Josh
July 10, 2009 at 2:34 pm

I started out as a die hard Chevy guy. Wouldn't touch a Ford. I was looking through the local newspaper for a cheap offroad toy, and there was an 82 Bronco listed. Gave Ford that shot. I still had my daily driver that was a Chevy, but I loved the truck, but like all good things, it came to an end. When i moved out to California, i again had a Chevy daily driver and i wanted another cheap offroad truck, so i was looking for another bronco and ended up with an 86 F350. Couldn't get it to pass smog, so i sold it. After my deployment, came home and wanted a cheap daily driver that got good gas milage. Bought a 94 Ranger 4x4 and never have looked back. I know own 3 Fords and with the way Ford is going, they have a life long customer. Reply

David Howe
July 10, 2009 at 2:57 pm

A suggestion for Bill and Alan:

Don't sell Volvo. Admit the fact that the Mercury line is simply a slight variation of the Ford line. Then take advantage of your ownership of Volvo and drop Mercury in favor of Volvo. Give your dealers something different to sell, rather than just a higher-priced Ford, and make Volvo available in many new cties and towns. Reply

Scott Monty
July 10, 2009 at 3:40 pm

David, we appreciate your point. The One Ford plan is focusing us on our core brands, and reducing the brands that aren't core to our goal of polishing the Blue Oval. We sold Astin Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, and we continue to explore strategic alternatives for Volvo, which may include selling it. Right now, our focus is on turning around this American and global icon and restoring the company to profitability as we make cars that people want and value. - Scott Monty | Global Digital Communications | Ford Motor Company Reply

David Howe
July 10, 2009 at 4:57 pm

It's fine to focus on our core brands, but Mercury is a brand that's targeted at the over-70 crowd. It adds nothing of significant value to Ford. Volvo, OTOH, is targeted at twenty- and thirty-somethings, usually with families, a demographic group with many years of car buying opportunities ahead of it.

What does our research show us regarding the number and age of customers who walk into a Ford-Mercury dealership and say, "I really want to look at the new Mercury Sable--it looks so much nicer than the Ford Taurus"? (And I understand there will be no Sable in 2010.) We deep-sixed Astin Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover; fine. But Volvo would provide an upgrade to our product mix that Mercury doesn't bring.

I know there are plenty of logistical headaches with this idea. You know the costs involved. But from an outsider's viewpoint, it's hard for me to see how bringing Volvo into the fold in place of the Mercury nameplate would not put more polish on the Blue Oval than selling Volvo at fire sale prices will.

Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. Reply

Scott Monty
July 10, 2009 at 9:25 pm

Hmm, that's funny. Because it seems that the Mercury Milan is at the top of the search results on our Let Ford Recycle Your Ride site: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/10/top-search-on-fords-cash-for-clunkers-site-is-the-mercury-mi/ Oh yeah, and we sold more Mercury vehicles last month than we did Volvos - and we've sold almost 45,000 Mercuries YTD, while we've sold just under 30,000 Volvos. So while your gut reaction about Volvo vs. Mercury is appreciated, sometimes perception doesn't equate with reality. Thanks for asking the right questions, though. Reply

najib
July 11, 2009 at 1:52 am

L think that now now i have become a believer in the steps Bill Ford has been trying to take the Ford Motor Company because as a young adult who is a real car enthusiast i am now more inclined to purchase a Ford made vehicle. Keep innovating Ford because sooner or later the public will recognize the steps the company has been taking to make more feul efficient cars that are also safe to drive. Najib. Maalin Reply

Mark
July 11, 2009 at 9:50 pm

I was looking at the comments between you and David and thought I'd add in a comment as well. I think it's ok to keep the Mercury brand just because of the history of it being part of the company, however, what I think limits the sales from become a volume brand is the fact that the vehicles still look too much like the Ford counterparts on which they're based. I remember a couple years ago that one of the design directors for Lincoln-Mercury said that they are working on better differentiating the designs of the cars for Lincoln and Mercury. The only vehicle I've seen that actually looks different is the Lincoln MKS vs. the Ford Taurus. Even the redesigned MKZ and Milan look very similar to the Ford Fusion in shape that if you were to look at the cars from the side, you could tell that they are related. Are there any plans to further differentiate the designs? For example, I saw a somewhat polarizing design of a Lincoln concept car which I believe was called the "Lincoln C". That had absolutely no other similar looking sibling as a Ford or Mercury. I definitely could see that car as differentiating the Lincoln brand, although, personally I would think that its design fits better with the Mercury brand than the Lincoln brand. That brings the other point I wanted to mention. I've noticed that other companies tend to differentiate the drivetrains of their different brands even if the different brands are using only slightly modified platforms for the different brands. The only place I've seen this done is again with the Lincoln MKS vs. Ford Taurus. Are there any plans to further differentiate the drivetrains as well? I am not saying that you need to have a different engine for every brand, but you could at least have different tunes to the engines or maybe use more costly technology as standard on the more upscale brands, i.e. if you plan to use only EcoBoost or no direct-injection at all, then maybe you could have naturally aspirated direct-injection engines standard on the Mercury line of products with hybrids or EcoBoost available as the upgrade. That would give people reasons to consider one brand over the other even if it costs more. Thanks for your time, Mark Reply

Mike Whittle
July 12, 2009 at 5:34 pm

How can Ford, while on the verge of bankruptcy, afford to develop and build a new NASCAR engine, that won't sell any cars? Why not work on a new 6 liter Mod. engine to help us keep up with Dodge and GM. The Mustang continues to be a great car, but we're stuck with a puny 4.6 engine. P.S. Nothing from the new engine can be reused, it's all 1970's technology,(carburetor, distributor ignition, pushrods, etc.) Reply

Danielle
July 14, 2009 at 2:57 pm

It's hard to say we need to "keep up" with two bankrupt companies. And if you read Challenger-Camaro-Mustang reviews the Mustang stills blows the slow and heavy Challenger out of the water and keeps up well with the Camaro. The GT I was in was gorgeous, strong, and didn't shake or quiver even past 140.

Also, 2014 the Stang turns 50, there WILL be something coming...that we probably could never imagine! Reply

Brian Wolfe
July 15, 2009 at 1:18 pm

Mike:
Thanks for your question. Our involvement in motorsports is an important part of the marketing mix at Ford, and we take that responsibility seriously in terms of making sure we bring back ROI (Return On Investment) for the company. We don't do this as a hobby. We do it to help the company sell cars and trucks, and improve consumers' perception of our company and its products.

As for the investment in the new FR9 Engine, first and foremost is the fact that we have been required by NASCAR to comply to new rules that determine architecture of engines used in the series; so we needed to develop the FR9 to remain in competition. Secondly, we are phasing in the new engine to ensure we use up all the current stock and not waste or scrap any good stock of the current engine. As a matter of fact, we are the last of the four manufacturers in the sport to come out with a design compliant to the new NASCAR rules. Also, although the specific parts will not carry over to our production engines, the processes we've used to develop the new engine are common with that which we use to improve our production engine programs and although you may think the NASCAR engine technology is "old", it is in fact very high tech and the materials and processes used are state-of-the-art.

Brian Wolfe | North America Motorsports | Ford Motor Company Reply

PIerce Cross
July 12, 2009 at 11:46 pm

Why do you not make hydrogen powered cars? The first internal combustion engine ran on hydrogen that's before gasoline was invented. why not convert engines the same way as they do today to run on nature gas. Pierce thanks for your time Reply

Scott Monty
July 17, 2009 at 9:29 am

Pierce, we do in fact have a fleet of 30 hydrogen cars in extended testing that have logged almost a million miles. They have surpassed our expectations for performance and we've even used a pair of hydrogen-powered Ford Edges in the last James Bond film "Quantum of Solace." The biggest hurdle though, is refueling stations. At this point, there's no robust infrastructure in place to support convenient and ubiquitous locations to recharge these fuel cells. We're actively working on that as well. Scott Monty | Global Digital Communications | Ford Motor Company Reply

Jerry Posner
July 13, 2009 at 11:00 am

I would like to say, I have been a Ford Owner since 1972. I presently own 3 Ford vehicles, a Crown Victoria, an Expedition and a Bronco II. I would not buy any other make. They have lasted forever. I am now ready to go and look for an Escape. Ford is the only Vehicle made here in America and in Canada. I would'nt switch for all the money in the world. Keep making those GREAT Vehicles. Reply

Gideon Jones
July 14, 2009 at 10:32 am

Hooray for Ford for not taking Obama's ensnaring Bail Out Money written with counterfeit checks payable by unborn generations. Henry Ford in 1903 had a
Model -T that ran on permanent Magnet power with no external power or fuel required. He called them Cow Magnets. That technology is available today and should once again power Ford cars. Check the German Prendev Motor and the
Australian Cyclone motor. Ford could lead the way with fuel-less cars. Do IT. Reply

Jacob Cook
July 17, 2009 at 12:07 am

My family has been a Ford family since the early 1900s. Ford has always been a good car and will continue to be. The only big mistake is when they took the Crown Victoria off the market. They could have worked on the fuel economy and also kept it going strong. My grandmother has a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria with around 500,000 miles on it and it is still in good condition. It always got her where she was going. So whats the deal Ford why can't you keep a good family car on the road instead of trying to make a car that is so European or Foreign appealing. This is America. You all seem to have forgotten what Henry Ford had in mind. Reply

Tom K
August 7, 2009 at 4:00 am

I'm all for workers getting a "fair shake" but when unions can bankrupt companies and force consumers to pay twice what an item is really worth then I say it's time to start with a clean slate. There's no reason I can't buy a new Ford for 10K other than the workers still on the lines are getting $40+/hr. to put tires and wheels on. Reply

HJONES53
August 21, 2009 at 10:09 am

This is a suggestion: from a retired employee. If possible why not show that ford is all about being an American car co. and advertise that for every combatant returning or active from the military (V.F.W.)they will get A-plan pricing plus an additional discount of (to be determined by Ford )
Thank You
Harold R. Jones 1344 Reply

Scott Monty
August 21, 2009 at 11:51 am

Dear Mr. Jones,

First of all, THANK YOU for your service to our country. As you know, Ford is proud of our men & women in the Armed Forces and we greatly appreciate what you do and have done.

Currently, we have a $500 discount available to all active military personnel. While we don't offer a discount to veterans, I can tell you that through the Ford Motor Company Fund & Community Services we have been supporting U.S. veterans through the Disabled American Veterans for the last 88 years, including the donation of funds and vehicles that transport them to medical appointments.

We'd be happy to take your suggestion and look at the feasibility of what you're recommending. Of course, it's important to note that Ford is not just an American company, but a global company. We have many communities around the world to consider as we develop such programs.

Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company Reply

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