Prakash Patel Out at Ford After Allegation of Inappropriate Behavior: Report

Prakash Patel, Ford’s global director of program management and former lead planner for the sixth-generation Mustang, has left the company. Ford Motor Company confirmed Patel’s departure to Automotive News, but declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding his termination.

This makes Patel the second high-ranking exec to leave Ford under a dark cloud this year. In February, former Ford North America president Raj Nair departed the company after an internal investigation turned up instances of “inappropriate behavior” that was “inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct.”

Former Lincoln Motor Company boss Kumar Galhotra took over Nair’s position, but there’s been no word on who’s filling Patel’s shoes. Frankly, much like with Nair, there’s next to no word on what alleged occurrence sparked the investigation.

While a Ford spokesman claimed the issue was a “personal matter,” a source told Automotive News that Patel’s firing was the result of inappropriate behavior.

Before taking on global program director role in January 2017, Patel served as business manager for Ford’s performance arm — a role he continued until his recent departure. The executive’s time at the automaker saw him wear numerous hats. He once headed up strategy for the Lincoln brand, attempting to boost the status of the once-moribund division, and before that saw him knee-deep in Mustang work.

For nearly seven years (February 2009 to December 2015), Patel was the go-to guy on the Mustang file, heading up work on the 50th anniversary Global Mustang (S550) program. The sixth-generation Mustang went into production in July 2014.