Edsel Ford, the president at the time, died unexpectedly in May 1943. This resulted in the by-now-senile Henry Ford taking the reins as president again, and since they were one of the main suppliers of wartime automobiles (the Jeep and the B-24 bombers, especially) the Federal Government got pretty worried. They released Edsel’s son –Henry Ford II - from the Navy, to take control of the company and hopefully bring some semblance of stability with him. He took advice from his mother’s brother-in-law, Ernest Kanzler, who had been in Ford before, and had later founded the Universal Credit Co.
Henry Ford had however sent him away long before. Based on his advice, Ford II chose managers who still survived in the company, who would be loyal to the family and not to Bennett, who had been hired by Henry Ford earlier, and was his right-hand-man. After the war, the company was in quite a shambles, with a lot of the engineering far behind the competition. They didn’t have an auto gearbox to compete with the rest. The V12 engines used by Lincolns were very troublesome, and they were scrapped in favour of a V8 power plant. ‘Ford and Mercury, though, continued to run their V8s from the pre-war era. Ford also brought out the F-l pickup which utilized the old chassis but equipped it with a new cab. All these changes were established in less than two years, and helped the company regain its former status, replacing Chrysler in 1950 to regain second place in the industry. Meanwhile, in 1947, Henry Ford passed away at the ripe age of 83, unaware of much of the changes and achievements of his company. Edsel Ford II joined the company in 1974 after graduating from Babson College,
and William Clay Ford Jr. joined in 1979 after graduating from Princeton. Both of them set about proving their worth among the rest of the company’s employees, of whom Phil Caldwell, Don Petersen and Red Poling, all three long- time veterans of the company were left running the show by Henry Ford II. These managers navigated the company through the financial crises that followed the ‘79 petrol availability scare, with the company posting losses of $1.5 billion in 1980, $1 billion in'81 and $658 million in ‘82. But Ford continued to invest in new technologies in this period, introducing the company’s first front-wheel-drive cars, and a series of cars derived from the Fox rear-wheel-drive family introduced in 1977. The main impact was made by the so-called ‘jelly-bean’ cars, the Taurus and the Sable. Early in 1988, Edsel and William were elected to 
the board of directors of the company, and that year Ford Posted a profit of $5.3 billion, and acquired Jaguar Motors of Britain (competing with GM) for $2.5 billion. After this high, however, Ford posted a loss of $7.four billion in 1992. Don Peterson was sacked from the post of chairman in 1991, after it was rumored that he 'forgot whose name was on the building’. Alex Trotman was named the president in 1993, after transferring to Ford America from Britain, and after heading Ford Europe ably for the previous few years. After assuming leadership, he tried to make his mark on the company by restructuring it, starting a program called ‘Ford 2000’. 
He disbanded the product-planning group that he had belonged to, even though it was talked of as one of Ford’s major advantages through the years. He stopped product lines that had enough volumes to justify continuation, and restyled others. The restyled models did not do well, and the attempt to woo American customers away from the traditional Ford pricing tactics to the contemporary European pricing didn’t work. The Ford family, maybe detecting that the company was losing focus – even though profits seemed to be pouring in especially from the truck sales and SUVs the company had a good stronghold in, decided to put William Jr. in the chairman’s seat. Jacques Nasser was nominated president, even though most of his career in Ford had been abroad. The profits climbed to a record $7.2 billion, and this led to Nasser extravagantly acquiring a bunch of automotive-service 
companies. He also started hiring and promoting people from outside the company, and forced loyal long-time employees to retire, affecting morale very badly. After a few public-relations disasters connected with malfunctioning Firestone tyres, and posting losses in 2001 and 2002, Nasser resigned as CEO, to be replaced by William Ford Jr., who was the first Ford family member to occupy the president's seat in 20 years. If all goes well, the Ford marque may well remain in the market (and the stock exchange) for the next hundred years...but the past history of the company, as documented above, displays all too clearly the hurdles and pitfalls encountered while trying to profitably run a mega-business, which is all too dependent on the contemporary public's view of the automobile... and will soon become even further dependent on environmental factors. It’s hard to imagine the automobile carrying on for another hundred years without losing the petrol-powered internal combustion engine, and morphing into other, more efficient means of propulsion. But looking at the way the various presidents and CEOs of the company handled even greater problems and managed to drag the company out of the doldrums, it should be interesting to see where the only remaining untainted marque goes in the next century of its existence. 
Recent company developments
During the mid to late 1990s, Ford sold large numbers of vehicles, in a booming American economy with soaring stock market and low fuel prices. With the dawn of the new century, legacy healthcare costs, higher fuel prices, and a faltering economy led to falling market shares, declining sales, and sliding profit margins. Most of the corporate profits came from financing consumer automobile loans through Ford Motor Credit Company.
By 2005, corporate bond rating agencies had downgraded the bonds of both Ford and GM to junk status, citing high U.S. health care costs for an aging workforce, soaring gasoline prices, eroding market share, and dependence on declining SUV sales for revenues. Profit margins decreased on large vehicles due to increased "incentives" (in the form of rebates or low interest financing) to offset declining demand.
In the face of demand for higher fuel efficiency and falling sales of minivans, Ford moved to introduce a range of new vehicles, including "Crossover SUVs" built on unibody car platforms, rather than more body-on-frame chassis. In developing the hybrid electric powertrain technologies for the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, Ford licensed similar Toyota hybrid technologies to avoid patent infringements. Ford announced that it will team up with electricity supply company Southern California Edison (SCE) to examine the future of plug-in hybrids in terms of how home and vehicle energy systems will work with the electrical grid. Under the multi-million-dollar, multi-year project, Ford will convert a demonstration fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids into plug-in hybrids, and SCE will evaluate how the vehicles might interact with the home and the utility's electrical grid. Some of the vehicles will be evaluated "in typical customer settings," according to Ford.
In December 2006, the company raised its borrowing capacity to about $25 billion, placing substantially all corporate assets as collateral to secure the line of credit. Chairman Bill Ford has stated that "bankruptcy is not an option". In order to control its skyrocketing labor costs (the most expensive in the world), the company and the United Auto Workers, representing approximately 46,000 hourly workers in North America, agreed to a historic contract settlement in November 2007 giving the company a substantial break in terms of its ongoing retiree health care costs and other economic issues. The agreement includes the establishment of a company-funded, independently-run Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (more commonly known as a VEBA) trust to shift the burden of retiree health care from the company's books, thereby improving its balance sheet. However, this arrangement will not begin to take effect until January 1, 2010. The agreement also gives hourly workers the job security they were seeking by having the company commit to substantial investments in most of its factories.
The automaker reported the largest annual loss in company history in 2006 of $12.7 billion, and estimated that it would not return to profitability until 2009. However, Ford surprised Wall Street in the second quarter of 2007 by posting a $750 million profit. Despite the gains, the company finished the year with a $2.7 billion loss, largely attributed to finance restructuring at Volvo.
In June 2, 2008, Ford sold its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion.
In January 2008, Ford launched a website listing the ten Built Ford Tough rules as well as a series of webisodes that parodied the show COPS (TV Series).
During November 2008, Ford, together with Chrysler and General Motors, sought financial aid at Congressional hearings in Washington D.C. in the face of worsening conditions caused by the automotive industry crisis. The three companies presented action plans for the sustainability of the industry. The Detroit based automakers were unsuccessful at obtaining assistance through Congressional legislation. GM and Chrysler later received assistance through the Executive Branch from the T.A.R.P. funding provisions. On December 19, the cost of credit default swaps to insure the debt of Ford was 68 percent the sum insured for five years in addition to annual payments of 5 percent. That means it costs $6.8 million paid upfront to insure $10 million in debt, in addition to payments of $500,000 per year. In January 2009, Ford announced a $14.6 billion loss in the preceding year, making 2008 its worst year in history. Still, the company claimed to have sufficient liquidity to fund its business plans and thus, did not ask for government aid.
In the latter half of 2005, Chairman Bill Ford asked newly-appointed Ford Americas Division President Mark Fields to develop a plan to return the company to profitability. Fields previewed the Plan, dubbed The Way Forward, at the December 7, 2005 board meeting of the company; and it was unveiled to the public on January 23, 2006. "The Way Forward" includes resizing the company to match current market realities, dropping some unprofitable and inefficient models, consolidating production lines, and shutting fourteen factories and cutting 30,000 jobs.
These cutbacks are consistent with Ford's roughly 25% decline in U.S. automotive market share since the mid-late 1990s. Ford's target is to become profitable again in 2009, a year later than projected.[citation needed] Ford's realignment also includes the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, Hertz Rent-a-Car to a private equity group for $15 billion in cash and debt acquisition. The sale was completed on December 22, 2005. A 50-50 joint venture with Mahindra and Mahindra Limited of India, called Mahindra Ford India, Limited (MIFL), ended with Ford buying out Mahindra's remaining stake in the company in 2005. Ford had previously upped its stake to 72% in 1998.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ford also became President of the company in April 2006, with the retirement of Jim Padilla. Five months later, in September, he stepped down as President and CEO, and naming Alan Mulally as his successor. Bill Ford continues as Executive Chairman, along with an executive operating committee made up of Mulally, Mark Schulz, Lewis Booth, Don Leclair, and Mark Fields.
Ford announced in late 2008 July that it will bring six of its more fuel-efficient European models to the U.S
Alternative fossil fuels
The alternative fossil fuel vehicles, such as some versions of the Crown Victoria especially in fleet and taxi service, operate on compressed natural gas—or CNG. Some CNG vehicles have dual fuel tanks - one for gasoline, the other for CNG - the same engine can operate on either fuel via a selector switch.
Biofuels
Flexible fuel vehicles are designed to operate smoothly using a wide range of available fuel mixtures—from pure gasoline, to bioethanol-gasoline blends such as E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Part of the challenge of successful marketing alternative and flexible fuel vehicles, is the general lack of establishment of sufficient fueling stations, which would be essential for these vehicles to be attractive to a wide range of consumers. Significant efforts to ramp up production and distribution of E85 fuels are underway and expanding.
Ford is also planning to produce 250,000 E85-capable vehicles a year in the US, adding to some 1.6 million already sold in the last 10 years.
Small cars
Ford Motor Company announced it will accelerate its plans to transform itself into a maker of smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, changing both its North American manufacturing plans and its lineup of vehicles available in the United States. In terms of North American manufacturing, the company will convert three existing truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) plants for small car production, with the first conversion starting in December at its Michigan Truck Plant. In addition, Ford's assembly plants near Mexico City, Mexico, and in Louisville, Kentucky, will convert from pickups and SUVs to small cars, including the Ford Fiesta, by 2011. Ford will also introduce to North America six of its European small vehicles, including two versions of the Ford Fiesta, by the end of 2012. And last but not least, Ford is stepping up its production of fuel-efficient "EcoBoost" V-6 and four-cylinder engines, while increasing its production of hybrid vehicles. See the Ford press release.
Given Ford's new emphasis on its European vehicles, a virtual trip to the British International Motor Show in London is in order. Ford is displaying five models of its all-new Fiesta at the auto show, which opened to the public on July 23. Among the models on display is the world debut of Ford's "ECOnetic" version of the Ford Fiesta, which combines more aerodynamic styling, a lowered suspension, low-rolling-resistance tires, low-friction oil, and a specially tuned, turbocharged, direct-injection diesel engine. As a result, it achieves 63.6 miles per US gallon (3.70 L/100 km; 76.4 mpg on the European combined test cycle, which generally yields higher fuel economy numbers than the U.S. test methods (note also that the U.K. gallon is about 20% larger than the U.S. gallon, so we've adjusted these numbers accordingly). The standard diesel version of the Fiesta achieves 52.3 mpg, while diesel versions of the European Ford Focus achieve 52.3 mpg for most body styles and 54.7 mpg for the ECOnetic model. Of course, the United States has stricter emissions rules than in Europe, so it may not be possible for Ford to offer similar models in the United States.[citation needed]
Ford has challenged University teams to create a vehicle that is simple, durable, lightweight and come equipped with a base target price of only $7,000 The students from Aachen University created the “2015 Ford Model T”.
Automotive industry crisis of 2008–2009 in India
In February 2009, the State Bank of India reduced interest rates on loans related to new automobile purchases. A downturn in automobile production compared to 2008 contributed to the bank's decision to lower interest rates
For the first few months of 2009, Tata Motors conducted a widespread marketing campaign leading up to the debut of the Tata Nano automobile. The low cost of the Nano, billed as "the people's car," is part of the company's strategy to improve automobile sales impacted by the credit crisis.
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