Ford 2007 Annual Report Download - page 8

6 Ford Motor Company | 2007 Annual Report
Ford’s senior management team is leveraging the company’s worldwide resources to achieve profitable growth.
Front Row (L to R) Mike Bannister, Mark Fields, Alan Mulally, Lewis Booth, John Parker. Second Row (L to R)
Bennie Fowler, Ray Day, Sue Cischke, Ziad Ojakli, Joe Laymon, Don Leclair. Third Row (L to R) Nick Smither,
Derrick Kuzak, Joe Hinrichs, Jim Farley, Tony Brown, David Leitch.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
The highlights of our efforts in support of our plan in
2007 included:
• A reduction in capacity in North America to better
match demand and improve productivity.
• $1.8 billion in cost savings (at constant volume,
mix and exchange, excluding special items).
• Quality improvements that put us on par with the
best in the business and earned us a number of
strong endorsements from third parties such as
Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates.
• The launches of the new Ford Taurus, Taurus X,
Focus, Mustang Bullitt, Mercury Sable and Ford
F-Series Super Duty, which kept us on track to
achieve our plan of making 70 percent of our
North American lineup new or significantly
upgraded by the end of 2008.
• In the U.S., Ford, Lincoln and Mercury crossover
utility vehicles led the fastest-growing market
segment with a sales gain of 62 percent.
• Ford Mustang convertible was the first sports car
and first convertible ever to earn five stars – the
highest possible safety rating – in all categories
from the National Highway Traffic and Safety
Administration. Ford Taurus, Taurus X and Mercury
Sable also earned five-star rating crash-test ratings
from NHTSA, as well as Top Safety Pick ratings
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• Ford Europe captured Autocar magazine’s annual
“Car Company of the Year” award.
• Ford Mondeo joined three other models –
Ford Focus, Galaxy and S-MAX – with a five-star
performance on the Euro NCAP Top 10 list, giving
Ford Europe the highest number of vehicles in the
top 10 for adult occupant protection.
• Ford South America sales were up 19 percent
year-over-year.
• Ford China, where sales were up 26 percent,
launched operations at our new assembly plant in
Nanjing to produce small-car models for both Ford
and Mazda.
The progress we made in 2007 validates our
plan and encourages us to continue working toward
our goal.
ONE GOAL
Our goal has not changed – we want to build
products that are immensely desirable so that we can
grow profitably. As we work toward that goal, you will
see increasing numbers of new product introductions
from us around the world.
In North America alone we will have six major
launches this year, putting us over the top of our goal
to deliver a 70 percent new showroom. This wave
of new products includes the Ford Flex crossover,
hybrid options for the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan,
the new flagship Lincoln MKS sedan, and the new