It’s been said that only a staunch anti-Communist politician such as Richard Nixon could have gotten away with his historic thaw in relations with China.
And perhaps only the great-grandson of the founding patriarch of the American mass-produced automobile could flatly predict the imminent demise of the internal combustion engine, the very device his ancestor, Henry Ford, helped pioneer more than a century ago.
At least, the younger Ford almost got away with it.
Bill Ford Jr. did, in fact, say it straight out at a major automotive conference in 2000, when he was nonexecutive chairman of Ford Motor Co., a year before he was installed as CEO.
"I believe cell-fuel vehicles will finally end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine as the dominant source of power for personal transportation," he said then, kicking up a stir.
With statements such as that, you might think the 47-year-old Ford, who leads America’s fourth-largest company, would be a darling among environmentalists.
You’d be wrong, though.
Instead, he’s mostly been caught between the incessant demands of Wall Street and his own deeply held green principles. And the more he tries to be open about the company’s progress — and sometimes lack of progress — toward those goals, the more he opens himself up for abuse from both sides.
"Regardless of what any special interest group says or does, we’re going to do what’s right for our business and for the environment," Ford says. "In my view, there’s no conflict between the two. I believe that improving environmental sustainability is a tremendous business opportunity."
Fuel efficiency and related environmental concerns aren’t the only challenges confronting Ford, whose extended family has retained 40 percent of the voting control of the No. 2 domestic automaker. His job description also calls for figuring out how to respond to maturing auto markets in North America and Europe, and to rising interest rates and gas prices that could devastate the industry.
And he’s doing it all while repositioning Ford Motor Co. for its second century.
Ford says he’s trying to find the right balance between embracing the company’s golden heritage — its founder’s engineering innovations and his visionary Jazz Age decision to pay workers $5 a day — as he leads a management team embarked on remaking the company for the radically different world it faces in its second century.
Among those differences is the integration of the Internet in the company’s business, and its impact on processes, policies and procedures.
"The biggest impact has probably been in our retail business," Ford says. "Some people predicted that the Internet would be the end of the traditional dealership. Instead, more and more customers are being driven to our dealers through the Internet. They are motivated and informed customers, and it makes the transaction easier and better for everyone."
Ford’s vision and willingness to adapt the company to the 21st century have contributed to the company’s healthier overall numbers — 2004 net income was $3.5 billion, an increase of more than $3 billion from a year earlier, and it had total vehicle sales of nearly 6.8 million, an increase of 62,000 units over 2003
"In 2004, our company gained momentum," says Ford, "delivering more revenue and earnings, more new products, and more innovative breakthroughs, such as the Escape Hybrid, the industry’s first full-hybrid sport utility vehicle."
