My perspective, it started when Mark Fields was forced out. The current leadership at the top is fumbling badly.
5 replies (most recent on top)
From the same family that gives us the Detroit Lions.
Heinrichs did not mess up any launches. Try again. He has press hydraulic fluid in his veins and who is to blame is the 'person' appointed quality and launch managers who failed miserably but it was not the right 'optics' to show who failed. They are no longer in these positions after Heinrichs took all the bullets.
They say under Joe the launches got messed up. Especially Aviator.
Fields getting forced out was a warning sign but I feel like everything changed when Joe Hinrichs was cut. He was the guy with a manufacturing background and understood what we do to keep the lights on.
Mark Fields had time to study both under Bill Ford when he was CEO and Allan. In Allan he saw what a leader truly was. Billy maybe a nice guy but he is no visionary or leader. Allan on the other hand had a vision and a plan everyone understood.
People had confidence in Allan. not Billy.
So, Mark was able to see this. he kept Allans vision on track. Nobody doubts someday we migrate away from ICE to another form of propulsion. But to tear up your company for something the public is not ready for is insane. The charge times / range / infrastructure is not in place for everyday type of driving we have today with ICE.
Billy also bought that Train Station. Why in the world did he buy that? Place looks like Lebanon and is in a very bad neighborhood. Billy needs to stop trying to play Mr. I can turn the town around and let the experts fix the business. We have serious quality problems. Morale is in the tank. Jim Farley is nothing but a bobblehead. He is no product guy. Legend in his own mind.