DETROIT -- Alan Mulally entered 2010 as a busy man. The Ford Motor Company president and CEO recently directed $450 million into electric vehicle production; all as part of a smaller family of vehicles.
“Every vehicle we put out was going to have the best in class, not just competitive, but best in class in quality, fuel efficiency, and safety,” Mullaly said, speaking of his goals for Ford.
He said things look good so far. The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was named North American Car of the Year. The 2010 Ford Transit Connect was named North American Truck of the Year. Ford expanded market share for the first time since 1995. With hybrids being the wave of the future, Mulally said lithium-ion battery technology will be an intregal part but must improve.
"The real big thing is we need to get the cost down,” he said.
“We need to get the packaging down. We need to get them to be more reliable at higher temperatures, so the most important thing to do with any technology is to help invest in it."
He also seems to have done the impossible. In the last year, Mulally kept the auto giant away from federal control, unlike General Motors or Chrysler. He said Ford got back to basics.
"We divested Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover and we are in the process of selling Volvo. What that has allowed us to do is focus on the Ford brand which is 90 percent of our business,” he said.
The ride, however, was a bit bumpy. In 2009, Ford had the worst vehicle sales since the early 1980s. 2009 completed a four year slide. But Mulally is confident in a prosperous 2010 and said he had no plans to retire despite his success.
