Ford ’s new CEO Alan Mulally is widely praised for his work at Boeing, but Fortune Magazine senior editor Alex Taylor III questions whether he can be as effective at the automaker. Mr. Taylor says Ford needs a major turnaround product like the Taurus of ’80s and Explorer of the ’90s, but it’s unclear if Mulally can deliver.
“Mulally knows all that, just as he knows he is alone – one ex-Boeing executive in a sea of 300,000 Ford Blue Ovals. He can’t even hope to roll the dice on another Taurus or Explorer and see it through to launch – he’d probably be retired before it reaches market,” wrote Taylor.
Taylor also points to concerns from within Ford. “There are terms like ‘tumblehome’ (the convex curvature on the side of the body) and ‘A-pillar’ (the roof support on the sides of the windshield) that we’re familiar with and he isn’t,” said North American design boss Peter Horbury. “He’s going to make some howling mistakes, but that’s part of learning the business.”
