On a very rare occasion, a select few journalists had the opportunity to meet up with Mark Fields, Ford President of the Americas, and Bill Osborne, President of Ford Canada for a forthright talk about Ford, where they are heading and, most importantly, the Way Forward program.
 |
| Mark Fields, President of Ford America (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
Before I begin, I must say that I was impressed with Mr. Fields to candidly speak to such as small group without making seem less important than his usual large crowds and hyper media attention.
Although Ford had just stated some important losses a day earlier, Mr Fields indicated with confidence that the Way Forward program was only 6 months old and that tough times had been predicted when the major restructuring plans were announced. This business scheme will take 5 years to complete. So far, Ford has managed to slow the rate of their declining market share with the introduction of new products that have been recognized by JD Power through their Initial Quality surveys. They have also managed to reduce warranty costs.
 |
| Bill Osborne, President of Ford Canada (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
Mr Fields gave two very specific reasons for some of Ford's hardships and they included the high price of both raw materials (steel, copper...) and of gasoline. Another challenged explained was the shrinking SUV sales and the disproportionate effect it has on their overall results. Fords is in the midst of countering the slide with more hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles. Fuel economy is another huge priority for the company and that is why they are also looking into fuel cell and diesel technology.
When asked about the addition of a sub-compact car to the line-up, Mr Fields explained that he is also keeping a close eye on what is happening on his turf. He realizes that other manufacturers are already on their way with affordable, versatile and economical transportation and that Ford
 |
| Mark Fields (left) and Bill Osborne (right) (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre) |
must jump onto the bandwagon. His reticence in offering a sub-compact car has to do with making sure that their product will oblige buyers with what they want along with a solid Ford brand identity. In his opinion, he does not believe that Ford has something of that calibre at the moment.
So far this year, Ford is carrying at a fair pace in Quebec with only a slight decrease in total sales year-to-date. Canada and Mexico overall are still doing quite well for Ford. Where the real trouble lies is in their Homeland. The question remains whether or not Ford will be able to turn around quickly enough before the situation gets all the more sour. Mr Fields believes that he can as he faced a similar situation with Mazda and the Mazda Millennium Plan roughly 10 years ago.
