Ford CEO and Chairman, Bill Ford's strategy to "sit back" somewhat and observe what happens with GM, while not overly progressive, may actually pay dividends down the road. Ford has taken on an enormous task in trying to resurrect not only a company with nearly the same legacy costs, lukewarm product line-up, and increased competitive landscape of General Motors, but at the same time propping up an entire cornerstone of the domestic auto industry.
With such a storied past, deep cultural roots, and political implications to all American manufacturing, it's really no wonder that he has spent a noticeable percentage of his time looking for someone else to fill his shoes.
William Clay Ford, Jr. is far too likeable a guy to impose the dramatic changes and cuts required to keep the Ford Motor Car Company competitive in today's environment. Plus, many of the issues the company is facing today are so massive and systemic in nature, that even an outsider or foreign "scapegoat" like Ghosn or Zetsche would have trouble.
It's obvious that both of the Detroit "Big Two" are going to go through some significant overhauls…one way or another. If Ford isn't willing to chart an entirely new path on his own, he will have to "hold on" long enough to let GM make all the mistakes. Like an older brother pushing a younger sibling first into an unlit basement, if Ford can watch and learn, the GM fallout might just be large enough to warrant governmental aid (in the form of bailout, healthcare reform, trade policy, etc…) I can't imagine the powers that be letting both companies go down.
If Ford does want to be proactive however, one of the best ideas to come along in a long time may be sitting right under his nose. One of the few items a CEO can control is product development and lets not forget that this company did "respond" rather quickly to the hybrid craze. Neil Winton just wrote another article on diesels, further supporting expert's claims that this is a far under-utilized technology, not only as an answer to short-term energy efficiency concerns, but also as a legitimate long-term (read performance-oriented) fuel.
The best part is that Ford already has nearly a century of diesel experience already in their trucks/vans and uses the technology widely with many brands and companies in Europe. Ford needs radically "outside the spark" thinking not only for cost-cutting, but in new products as well. This might be the just the break out you need.
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