Autoblog

Joe Laymon isn't on the short list of successors for Ford CEO Alan Mulally, and it's unlikely you've ever heard of him, but if you want to get to the top at the Blue Oval, this is the guy you stop by Starbucks for on the way to work. Laymon is in charge of keeping a list of internal candidates ready in the event Mulally retires (or quits, is fired or for some other reason exits his position), which could come as soon as 2011 when he turns 65.

Both President of the the Americas Mark Fields and new marketing chief Jim Farley are on the short list of six execs on which the company is keeping tabs, but some less familiar names are considered, as well. Europe boss Lewis Booth, CFO Don LeClair, Europe COO Stephen Odell, and manufacturing chief Joe Heinrich round out the list of internal CEO candidates that will be given to the Ford board in the event of a Mulally exit. The list isn't static, either, as names are reviewed and added or dropped each year. If the board doesn't like its choices, though, the list is completely worthless and the company will again look outside its hallowed halls for help, just like it did in Mulally's case.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Ford of Europe chairman Lewis Booth confirmed today that the next-generation Ford Fiesta for the European market will be brought to us folks in small car-starved North America. In truth, we're not actually starved for small cars in North America, we're just starved for good small cars like the Ford Fiesta and other European B-class models. The current model is well received in its native market, while the next generation model will be based off of the same platform used by the new Mazda2 that's being debuted publicly for the first time in Geneva tomorrow. The question remains whether Ford will substantially alter the design of the Euro model before it makes its transatlantic voyage, but considering how little money Ford has to spare, as well as how good the current designs are coming out of Ford Europe, we'd guess the models will be very similar.

Booth also commented that platform sharing between Ford's North American and European operations could extend all the way up to the Mondeo. For the first time we've gotten an indication of how that might work. Booth says that since the Fusion has just been launched, it likely won't be until the new sedan has gone through at least one full product cycle that the two cars can be merged. By that time, we'll either be getting the new Mondeo in the twilight of its own product cycle or an all-new Mondeo will debut on both continents.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Not long after we told you about the likely promotion of Derrick Kuzak to the role of global Car Czar, President and CEO of Ford Alan Mulally officially announced his corporate realignment plan. At the top of the pyramid is, of course, Mulally himself. Reporting to him are the leaders of Ford's three largest units: Mark Fields, Ford of the Americas; Lewis Booth, Ford of Europe and the Premier Auto Group (PAG); and John Parker, Ford of Asia Pacific, Africa and Mazda. Supporting this team will be the aforementioned Derrick Kuzak, whose office door now reads Global Product Development Leader (a.k.a. Car Czar). J Mays is still the leader of Ford's design teams and will support Kuzak.

The whole point of defining each executive's role in the company and creating clear hierarchies is so that Ford can begin acting like one company instead of five separate ones, each with their own interests. The biggest change here is that Fields, Booth and Parker will now all be reporting directly to Mulally. In the past, both Booth and Parker would report to Mark Schulz, the company's Executive VP of International Operations. Schulz, however, announced his retirement earlier this month, which gave management a perfect opportunity to cut out a middle man position and improve communication between various rungs of the corporate ladder.

Check out Ford's full press release on this realignment after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Although Ford has recently confirmed that Aston Martin is up for sale, they made a point of saying today that the rest of its premium brands, are not. Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo are not part of the fire sale at Ford just yet. With the new, almost-as-sexy-as-an-Aston XK coupes and convertibles starting to find their way into dealerships, Jaguar in particular is looking good for the time being, despite being one of the biggest financial thorns in Ford's side.

Ford's announcement was made to financial analysts by Lewis Booth, head of Ford of Europe and the Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which oversees the overseas Ford brands. Of course, this could all change in the next hour or two as executives are usually fluent in doublespeak. Although PAG is expected to post another loss in 2006, there are some signs of improvement heading into 2007, according to Ford. As we have had to report ad nauseum, Ford recently put the pedal to the metal in its cost-cutting plans, announcing drastic cuts (more than 40,000 jobs going away) and the closing of as many as 16 plants in North America to help get them back in the black by 2009.

[Source: Motor Trend]

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