Dominating the news today: The enthronement of Fields, sales day comments, GM back in bankruptcy court. For the car blogs: Lotus gets a new boss, Ewanick manages gas stations
- QandA: Fields says he will stay ‘relentlessly focused’ – Automotive News:
- Incoming Ford CEO Mark Fields said at a press conference Thursday that when he takes over on July 1, he will ‘stay relentlessly focused #8230; on bringing even more great products and innovations with top quality to the marketplace.
- Challenge for Ford’s Fields: Maintaining Mulally’s momentum – DetN: The Mulally era at Ford Motor Co. will end July 1, underscoring a truth its hometown industry and the people who depend on it need to hear: Detroit can compete and win.
- Ford follows GM’s lead in picking insider as CEO – DetN: Ford Motor Co.’s decision to elevate Mark Fields to chief executive marks the second time since December that a U.S. automaker has tapped a company insider as its leader. The move leaves Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group LLC, as the longest-tenured head of a Detroit automaker.
- Fields ready to hit ground running as Ford’s chief – DetN: Mark Fields’ rise to chief executive of Ford Motor Co. comes at a time when the Dearborn automaker is free of controversy, chaos or financial distress. In other words, today’s Ford is everything it wasn’t when Alan Mulally took over eight years ago.
- U.S. Sales Gains for GM, Toyota, Chrysler – WSJ: Safety recalls at General Motors didn’t slow its April sales as the nation’s largest auto maker posted gains, bolstered by improving demand for its latest pickup trucks. Chrysler and Toyota also rose while Ford sales slumped.
- Mulally flexed clout on Capitol Hill, won praise – DetN: Retiring Ford Motor CEO Alan Mulally, who has been a key player in many Washington debates and often met with top policy makers, was heralded by politicians across the political spectrum today, as was his replacement Mark Fields.
- Ford Picks Veteran Manager as CEO – WSJ: Mark Fields is set to take over as chief executive of Ford Motor on July 1, and he’ll face very different set of challenges than those the current boss, Alan Mulally, has tackled over the last eight years.
- The Head of Ford Retires, Having Rejuvenated the Carmaker – NY Times: In a widely expected transition, the chief executive of Ford, Alan R. Mulally, will be succeeded by the chief operating officer, Mark Fields.
- Fields’ rise, Mulally’s retirement a smooth transition at Ford – DetN: Alan Mulally’s retirement as chief executive of Ford and Mark Fields’ ascension to the automaker’s top position represents the lastest in a line of milestones for the Blue Oval — a seamless executive transition.
- Fields to maintain Ford’s new culture – FT: US carmaker’s incoming chief’s biggest challenges will be to steer group through key product launches and stop dysfunction from reasserting itself
- Mulally to hand over Ford CEO job earlier than expected – Reuters: Ford Motor Co on Thursday made official what investors and analysts had been waiting for – Chief Executive Alan Mulally this summer will pass the baton of leadership to Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields, six months earlier than expected.
- Bill Ford Jr.: Mark Fields is ‘a product of the change in this culture’ – DetN: Ford Motor Co.’s CEO-in-waiting, Mark Fields, is not Alan Mulally. But the 53-year-old veteran is a disciple of the retiring star executive, whose culture of winning and positive leadership mark the rebirth and success of the Blue Oval.
- One Ford plan will continue, says new boss Mark Fields – Autocar: Autocar talks exclusively to new Ford boss Mark Fields about his plans for the Blue Oval’s future. Ford has at last appointed its chief operating officer, Mark Fields, to the top job of chief executive officer, a position occupied by high-achieving Alan Mulally for the past eight years.,
- Fields moves into driving seat at Ford – FT: Chief operating officer Mark Fields to take over as Ford chief executive from Alan Mulally, the man credited with rescuing company from bankruptcy
- US: Spring at last in April, car sales blossom – Just-auto: US light vehicle sales continued to blossom in April, rising 8.1% compared to the same month in 2013.
- U.S. Auto Sales Heating Up with the Weather – thedetroitbureau.com: New models demonstrated their value to automakers in April as the latest cars and trucks launched over the past several months combined with a break in the frigid weather pulled buyers into showrooms, helping keep the annual sales rate at more than 16 million units for the second consecutive month.
- April U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Continue Resurgence From 2014’s Slow Start – Wards: Large pickups, SUVs and vans combined for a 7.2% gain over year-ago, while share of the three segments increased to 15.8% and bucked seasonal trends by rising from March.
- U.S. SAAR History by Month, 1980-current – Wards: U.S. vehicle sales SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rates) by vehicle type and source by month for 1980-current.
- Toyota’s April: Light Trucks Rule Again, as Does Lexus – Wards: While Toyota cars managed a slight gain, trucks saw the bigger growth, as has been the pattern all year.
- April 2014 Sales Thread (UPDATE): SAAR Hits 16 Million for Second Month – Wards: Later reporting companies lift final SAAR to 16 million.
- U.S. Light Vehicle Sales, April 2014 – Wards: U.S. light vehicle sales for April 2014 presented in interactive Excel tables and charts. Expandable reports highlight results by Company, Source, Segment, Model Line and Power Source by units or market share. Includes SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rates), Top 15 models by vehicle type, and filterable flat file to query or export to external reports.
- U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Summary, April 2014 – Wards: U.S. light vehicle sales by vehicle type and source; and by company for April 2014. Includes top 10 best-selling cars and trucks.
- GM’s fate in hands of bankruptcy judge – again – Reuters: Five years ago, New York bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber oversaw the historic bankruptcy of General Motors, establishing a new company that is shielded from liability for the actions of its precursor.
- Hoping to Fend Off Suits, G.M. Is to Return to Bankruptcy Court – NY Times: The automaker is trying to fend off a rising tide of class-action lawsuits stemming from its recall of 2.6 million cars because of a dangerously defective ignition switch that it now links to 13 deaths.
- GM Asks Plaintiffs to Drop Ignition Suits – WSJ: General Motors is asking those suing it over ignition-switch issues to voluntarily halt those lawsuits, according to documents filed ahead of a Friday bankruptcy-court hearing.
- UK: Lotus unveils former CLEPA chief as new CEO – Just-auto: Lotus says former European automotive supplier body, CLEPA chief, Jean-Marc Gales, has been appointed as its new CEO.
- Ewanick’s Calif. startup wins $27.6M grant for hydrogen filling stations – Automotive News: A California startup headed by former Hyundai and GM marketing executive Joel Ewanick plans to install 19 hydrogen fuel filling stations for fuel cell vehicles starting next year in California.
- Bentleys, Porsches Mask VW Group’s Struggles in India – Wards: Sales have plunged since jumping by triple digits in 2010 and 2011, with VW and SkodaAuto deliveries tumbling 19% year-on-year to 82,239 units in 2013, WardsAuto data shows. Indian production fell by roughly half.
- BMW X5 U.K. Thieves’ Top Target Fifth Straight Year – Wards: Tracker Police Liaison Officer Adrian Davenport says the most expensive car recovered in 2013 was worth £90,000, but the average recovered car’s value was just £23,600, down from the year before.
- Can you build a supercar that’s as safe to drive as it is exciting? – Autocar:
- A drive in the new Lamborghini Huracán prompts Sutcliffe to wonder if the supercar is becoming too safe.
- FTC may revise fuel economy advertising guidelines – DetN: The Federal Trade Commission is resuming its review of whether to revise its nearly 40-year-old guidelines that govern fuel economy claims made by automakers and dealers make in advertising.
- Aston Martin confirms all-new platform coming – KBB: In a statement made during the firm’s 2013 annual report, Aston Martin Chief Financial Officer, Hanno Kirner, announced the automaker will soon undertake the largest investment program in its 101-year history.
- Hotter Bentley Continental Supersports in development – Autocar: Bentley is poised to push the button on an uprated V8-powered Continental Supersports with around 545bhpA more focused V8-powered Bentley Continental Supersports, based on this test mule, will await the production go-ahead from new company boss Wolfgang Dürheimer when he returns to Crewe in June.
- GM sweetens incentives to owners of recalled cars, sees sales rise – Automotive News: A General Motors new-vehicle incentive offered only to owners of GM vehicles plagued with defective ignition switches might have helped the automaker’s new-car sales in April.
- Wheelies: The Police Truck Edition – NY Times: Chevrolet introduces a police version of its Silverado pickup; the federal government says it lost $11.2 billion in bailing out General Motors.
- Chrysler up 14% on Ram, best-ever Jeep sales – Automotive News: Chrysler Group sales jumped 14 percent in April as strong Jeep and Ram sales more than offset losses from the automaker’s soon-to-be-replaced mid-sized sedans.
- California Fines Ford $3 Million Over Defective Pollution Control Equipment – NY Times: The California Air Resources Board has issued the fine because of a problem with the diagnostic computer on 2011-12 Fiestas.