The Ford Fusion Hybrid with a projected 39 mpg city is a game changer as far as I’m concerned. Whether you’re interested in the technology or not, it offers better city fuel economy than almost anything else out there including the diminutive Smart ForTwo, Jetta TDI, and of course the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

I would like to see Ford ditch Mercury and concentrate on two brands, Ford and Lincoln. In fact, if it came down between Lincoln and Volvo, I would toss Lincoln and keep Volvo.

I wonder if his meetings with Ford were to pick upholstery colors ;-)

Caddy’s have been the limos of choice for a numbers of years now- Lincoln’s were the choice for years before.

Would that Wagoner had even a small fraction of Bill Ford’s integrity.

Of all of the U.S.A’s high-profile auto-execs, he is amongst the most-liked and has long thought that the ‘way forward’ could and should be higher mpg, green vehicles made by a company with a low carbon footprint. Not exactly a bad vision of the future.

If he has a back-channel to the incoming President, I say ‘bravo’ and shame on GM and Chrysler for not doing a better job of lobbying in D.C. for their own agenda; they might just pay dearly for it because whether you like Bill Ford’s green agenda or not, he certainly has managed to make Ford seem like the one company that the Congress would not mind doting upon with some of our ‘green’.

Hopefully without the whole inbreeding thing…

To save money (and likely improve results) I wonder if Mullally could run the Lions on his lunch hour?

Well, I should amend that. Bill did another good thing: step down from the CEO’s job. He realized he didn’t have what it takes (i.e., ruthlessness in getting that herd of cats going in the same direction). But otherwise, his time at the helm will be best remembered for frivolities such as planting gardens on factory roofs. I think he’s the kind of guy who goes to Davos and thinks he’s a visionary.