Do you think being the scion of a global brand is easy? Well think again, it’s hard work. No-one knows this more than Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford. So, when Akio Toyoda got thrown into a quality nightmare, Bill Ford empathised with the fellow (and currently not so great) grandson of Kiichiro Toyoda, the one who had founded Toyota. Bill feels for Akio, in the family way.
“Any time anything happens to Ford, it’s personal, good and bad, and I’m sure he feels the same way,” Bill Ford said about Akio Toyoda, according to Business Week. “Other people can resign and go home and do other things. But when your name is on the building and you have the history and the passion, you’re in for the long haul.” Of course. Other people would get fired.
When asked whether Bill Ford had some words of advice for Mr Toyoda, Bill got stage fright. “The last thing he needs is me calling him right now,” Bill Ford said after a speech to the Livonia Chamber of Commerce in suburban Detroit. “I admire him and I think he’s a good executive. I’d like just to catch up when things settle down a little bit.”
You may be waiting a long time, Bill. There’s 8 million cars to fix. In the meantime, Bill Ford takes “no joy” in Toyota’s troubles. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve had a lot of really, really difficult moments as a company and I have had personally,” Bill Ford said. “You feel it personally. It’s not a job. It’s your whole life.” According to people close to the matter, Bill’s nose did not grow one bit.
Family, schmamily, Bill Ford takes his responsibilities at Ford very seriously. So seriously, that they’re trying to woo Toyota customers to the blue oval. Hey, Bill likes Akio, but business is business. And taking a little market share for safe keeping while the other fellow is going through a bit of a rough patch is just part of the business. As long as it stays amongst us scions …
Ford wants to stay out of the spotlight seeing as they hold the highest rank over the last decade in recalls and they are a very strong second to Toyota in unintended acceleration complaints to the NHTSA (only 30% less…multiple times higher than the next manufacturer on the list.)
Bill Ford is a good and honest man,with a conscience,and a heart. Makes for a great human being,and a lousy CEO.
Toyota is down,so lets kick e’m while thier still kickable.
Mikey, I’m a Bill Ford fan myself, but none of us know what’s in his heart. I think he’s a great executive… one of the few who said, “Oh crap, I’m no good at this… better get someone a lot smarter with a lot more experience than me.”
He took a risk at not only hiring someone outside of Ford but outside of automotive. For that, I’d say he’s got juevos grandes, and so far, that gamble has paid off handsomely.
Nyaaah, Billy didn’t bring in Mullaly. The Wall Street sharks who hocked the company for $23B brought in Mullaly, as a condition of the loan. Ford woulda gone belly up without it, and the Fords’ controlling interest along with it, and that was the only impetus for action… certainly not the historically inept Ford family.
Frickin Fields woulda been at the tiller when the ship hit the rocks, backed by Rubin and the handpicked board, if Billy and Company had had their way.
Crash Sled- Ford had already secured $17 billion in funding before AM arrived. After AM arrived, he decided to go back for more (for “just in case” situations, and that “just in case” happened), the additional $6 billion was influenced by the hiring of AM and of him having total authority to execute, supported by the majority shareholders.
People also forget that Ford first wanted Ghosn, but his plan would have basically added Ford to the Ren/Nis pact, while the board (correctly) felt that to save Ford, ford had to focus on ford.
Quote from Ford “He (AM) wasn’t my first choice, but he was the right choice”
rnc, because of Ford’s looming insolvency, all was in the works, as you mention. All events were interconnected, even if not occurring in a pure series.
Mullaly, the unwashed Kansan aerospace guy, was not the Ford family’s choice to run their company. He didn’t pull his Lexus into Ford’s parking lot because they wanted him. He was foisted on them, because of their disastrous situation, which occurred long before the market crash.
As mentioned above, the departure of Rubin from the Board was the other very clear sign, to close observers. Rubin, the most handpicked of the Fords’ handpickings. The Wall Street sharks required blood sacrifice… and even then they demanded security on their loan.
Hey, if you want to give the Ford family credit for climbing out of their bunker rather than biting into the cyanide capsule, more power to you. But their historical incompetence does not merit any credit.
Just look at the Detroit Lions for a hint of how a Ford-family-managed brand succeeds. Whatever old Henry had, it ain’t genetic.
Still it doesn’t take away from Billy boy his good heart and good intentions whatever the results may be.
Ya know…
From what I can remember, I dont think Toyota ever did the low ball shit that Ford and the domestics do.
When Ford, GM and Chrapsler do their summer giveaways with no money down ever everyone gets a car b.s.. The Japanese dont climb on, they just sit back and watch.
When GM and Chapsler went in to the govt to beg for money, Toyota didnt stand there and throw shit at them.
Now when Toyota is down.. the domstics do what they always do.
Kick them.
Funny how the Japanese always take the high road, while the domestics ARE always ready to sucker punch ya.