[SobeSVT]

Detroit Free Press

Ford was 'shocked' at Wagoner's departure

BY BRENT SNAVELY • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • APRIL 21, 2009

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said Tuesday that he was shocked when he heard that General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner was stepping down.

“I guess I never thought I’d live to see the day where the CEO of General Motors was dismissed by the president of the United States. That to me was quite a moment,” Ford said during an interview on CNN with Larry King. “I was shocked by the way it happened.”

Nevertheless, Ford declined to pass judgment on whether it was the right move and praised U.S. President Barack Obama for the approach he has taken with the automotive industry, especially his desire to push the industry towards more fuel efficient cars.

“I love what he is doing with our industry because he is paying attention to us, he wants a viable American car industry and he is listening,” Ford said. “One of the things we’ve never had in the past is an administration that wants to pull all the parties together and figure out an energy policy and how to make a strong automotive industry and he is doing that.”

The Dearborn-based automaker remains the only domestic automaker to forego federal funding, even though the company is struggling to deal with the worst sales environment in decades. Ford has frequently vowed to survive without federal funding.

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[Volvo_S70]

You got to think its a small knit community in auto detroit, and they must be really in turmoil over the state of industry.
Personally, I am just happy Jim press is not on his high Toyota horse. He is with the home team

 

[YellowZx5]

I think personally something has to be done in improving the auto industry. It never dawned on me that the CEO of GM would be ousted, but there must have been a really good reason for this.

Another thing we probably will see with GM and Chrysler is the elimination of certain brands. We are already hearing ripples about GM maybe shaving a few brands off to help the money crisis, but will the right brands be shaved? I am thinking GMC needs to be shaved and Pontiac could be shaved too. Saturn is a niche market and you see a lot of the Euro styled vehicles in that lineup and think it could be a good one but I am sure they will shave it off. We know Hummer will be sold off, Buick isin demand by the Chinese, and Cadillac is in a good moment with a sort of Renaissance of the looks as is Buick. Chevy will obviously stay because of the Volt.

This is what I think and I am sure I am a little wrong, but if I was CEO I would do this.

 

[Volvo_S70]

shaving gmc would be wrong, its just a chevy brand. I would say move Hummer under GMC