alan mulally

Ford Resurrects Lincoln: What This Luxury Relaunch Really Means

Ford unveiled a surprise this week: It's relaunching the Lincoln brand, and committing more than $1 billion to the effort. The renewal of the luxury brand is about more than just prestige. It's about big profits, and a push by Ford into one very big foreign market.

How Ford Can Export Its Turnaround Magic to Europe

The second quarter brought good news and bad news for auto icon Ford. The good? Ford's U.S. sales and profits continued to be strong. The bad: Overall profits were down 57% because of the challenges it faces overseas.

The Problem With Ford Isn't Ford

Shares of Ford fell sharply on Friday after the company reported a quarterly result below analysts' $0.26 a share expectations: $1.1 billion, or $0.20 a share. But despite the disappointing profit number, Ford's core business is actually in great shape.

Despite a Profit Blip, Ford's Strong Recovery Continues

Are things really that bad at Ford? You'd think so after its third-quarter earnings report drove its share price down sharply. But despite the tough economic conditions Ford faces, the larger story is that the automaker has become very strong, thanks to its focus on a surprisingly simple plan.

UAW Head Uses Ford CEO's Big Payday to Rally Union

When Ford awarded CEO Alan Mulally more than $50 million in compensation for 2010's record profit it raised eyebrows around Detroit. Now, the UAW is using that big payday as a rallying point for members as it starts negotiations to regain some of what autoworkers gave up in concessions during the downturn.

Resurgent Ford Awards Top Two Execs $99 Million in Stock

Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Executive Chairman Bill Ford, have been awarded $56.5 million and $42.4 million in stock, respectively, in recognition for the company's stunning turnaround, which resulted in the automaker raking in $6.6 billion last year -- its best performance in more than a decade.

Ford's Sales Climb 14% on Explorers, Fuel-Efficient Models

Ford reported Tuesday that its sales in February rose 14% compared to a year ago, in part due to strong sales of the revamped Ford Explorer sports-utility vehicle, the Fusion midsized sedan and the Ford Escape compact SUV. Total sales for the month hit 156,626.

Ford Shares Tank on Its Earnings Disappointment

Ford shares headed down sharply after the company announced quarterly earnings 18 cents per-share lower than analyst expectations. The miss cast a shadow on the report from Ford, which posted its best annual profit in a more than decade -- $6.6 billion.

Ford May Post Its Best Yearly Profit in a Decade

Analysts forecast that Ford will announce a profit of 48 cents a share on revenue of about $30.6 billion when it releases earnings on Friday. That translates into an expected pretax profit of $8 billion in 2010, the best Ford has seen since 1999.

Ford Details Its Lincoln Reboot, Chrysler Talks Trucks

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Tuesday, Ford and Chrysler both announced plans to introduce a host of new models. Ford will add seven vehicles with "truly unique Lincoln DNA" to its luxury line, while Chrysler has its eyes on new pickups, a revived Jeep Grand Wagoneer, and possibly, a 'mini-minivan.'

Ford to Add 1,800 Jobs in Kentucky for Escape SUV

Ford plans to invest $600 million in a Kentucky plant to build the next-generation Escape SUV, creating an 1,800 additional jobs, the automaker said Thursday. The new jobs will be added incrementally after the Louisville Assembly plant is rehabbed and reopened late next year.

Ford Sales Surge 24% in November

Sales at Ford Motor rose 24% in November compared to a year ago as demand surged for a wide range of the company's products, the automaker said Wednesday. For the month, Ford said it moved 147,338 vehicles off dealers' lots, up from 118,536 in November 2009.

GM's IPO: Recovery -- Not the End of the Road

Considering where the iconic carmaker has been in recent years, the pending IPO -- and robust investor demand for shares -- is a remarkably positive step. But GM still has plenty of problem spots that will need fixing if this historic event is to have lasting meaning.

Ford Shares Hit Six-Year High on Solid Sales Report

Stock in Ford hit levels not seen since the summer of 2004 Thursday, a day after the Dearborn, Mich., automaker reported solid sales for the month of October. The stock rose as much as 4.3% to $15.83 a share in morning trading on Wall Street.

Ford Drives Its Way to Record Third-Quarter Earnings

The U.S. automaker reported a $1.7 billion profit on strong demand for its revamped line of products, despite a lackluster economy. Continued growth at its Ford Credit finance unit also helped push profits higher.

Auto Industry Cruises on Slow, Steady Demand

Vehicle sales have been less than stellar in recent months, disappointing some analysts. But the industry is gradually improving in a broad trend that is benefiting nearly all automakers -- including the Big Three, which have returned from the brink.

Ford Closing 175 Lincoln Dealerships

In a bid to revamp Lincoln's long-lost luxury image, Ford Motor will seek to reduce by about a third the number of dealers who sell Lincoln vehicles in the nation's top 130 metropolitan markets.

Ford Has Made Its Last Mercury Mountaineer SUV

It's official. Ford has begun winding down its long-lived Mercury brand, ending production of the Mountaineer sports-utility vehicle Friday. In June, Ford announced its intention to shutter the 71-year-old nameplate as part of a plan to devote more resources to its Lincoln and Ford brands.

Ford Sales Surge 46% in September

Ford Motor (F) reported higher sales in September on strong demand for fresh models, as sales rose 46% compared to September 2009, the company said Friday.

Ford May Shutter 200 Lincoln Dealerships

In a bid to better compete against European and Japanese luxury makes, Ford reportedly may seek to reduce the number of Lincoln dealerships in the U.S. Nearly 1,200 dealers sell Lincolns, five times more than sell Toyota's Lexus nameplate, the nation's leading luxury brand.

Ford May Reduce Lineup to as Few as 20 Models

"Fewer brands means you can put more focus into improving the quality of engineering," CEO Alan Mulally said Monday. The second-largest U.S. automaker has been surging ahead in both sales and honors over the past year.

Ford Earnings Likely to Weaken in 2011 on Higher Costs

Ford earnings are expected to be weaker next year due to higher costs for pensions and materials, according to a research note released Wednesday by Credit Suisse Securities. Forecasts call for pretax income from Ford's North America operations to fall to $4.2 billion in 2011 from $4.8 billion this year.

CEOs Who Laid Off More Got Paid 42% More Money

CEOs who cut the most jobs during the recession earned an average of 42% more than their S&P 500 peers, according to a study by the Institute for Policy Studies. Top execs at the 50 firms that laid off the most workers since the economic crisis began averaged nearly $12 million in 2009.

Ford Earnings Preview: Sales and Profits Hit the Gas

Ford Motor is set to deliver strong earnings when it reports second-quarter results Friday. After disastrously low sales in 2009, the auto industry as a whole has been in recovery mode this year -- and Ford has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the revival.