In Your Book Does Ford's Refusal To Accept Federal Bailout Money Place Them Above The Other Detroit Automakers?

On Nov. 18 and 19, 2008, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally and the heads of General Motors, Chrysler and the United Auto Workers testified before congressional committees weighing their request for a bailout.

Ford was on the verge of bankruptcy, but Mulally's turnaround plan was working. If he and his team could keep the lights on just a little longer, Mulally was sure they could make Ford profitable again.

Mulally flew back to Michigan on the Ford Gulfstream, still reeling from the drubbing that he and the other two CEOs had taken at the hands of Congress. He understood why lawmakers were disappointed in the American automobile industry. He understood why they were reluctant to help. But he resented the way so many of them lumped Ford together with General Motors and Chrysler. Under his leadership, Ford had acknowledged its problems and was well on its way to fixing them when the economy fell apart. GM and Chrysler had stubbornly insisted that they knew better until it was too late. Ford was a sober alcoholic. They were two stumbling drunks. But all Congress saw was three winos.

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kevinw - 3/19/2012 1:45:40 PM

+2 Boost

Absolutely!

Agent009 - 3/19/2012 2:30:56 PM

-1 Boost

So did Toyota and others. If the US supply chain barfed so would they.

91z4me - 3/21/2012 10:50:23 AM

0 Boost

My, my there are some rich imaginations on here.

If GM and Chrysler went under the domestic production supply chain would have been decimated. It doesn't matter if the car maker was US, European, or Asian. It doesn't matter if they use UAW labor or non organized labor. If the suppliers would have gone under from GM & Chrysler, and they would have, nobody would be able to get parts in the US and likely Canada, because all the suppliers would have filed for BK.

Face it Mullaly and Ford were smart and cashed in all their premium brands and mortgaged the company just before the credit market crashed because they needed to re-up their entire lineup. Smart decision making, by anyone who isn't as biased as a bigot.

Toyota, Ford, GM, Chrysler, and everyone that builds large factories in the US all receive government subsidies/tax breaks and various 'loans'/'incentives' to upgrade factories at regular intervals, it is just a part of the game of employing large numbers of people and generating LOTS of tax revenue. To call Ford out for taking advantage of what everyone else did is just stupid and shows your ignorance and biased nature.

MeanVulcan - 3/19/2012 3:01:05 PM

+3 Boost

Bottom line is that Ford did not NEED bailout money because their products are good enough to stand on their own (unlike CHrysler and GM). UAW aside, Ford stands above Chrysler and GM.

With UAW in the picture, no way, no how, do I buy anything made by them. As much as Detroit advertises Made in America. To me its more like "Made the UNAmerican way".

91z4me - 3/21/2012 10:56:29 AM

+1 Boost

BW, you realize it takes between 18 months on the short end and 3 years on the long end to redo/restyle a vehicle right? Heck the next Mustang design has been locked in for about 1.5 years now, same with Camry/Accord and every other car. Ford didn't 'beg' for money, they said that GM & Chrysler going under would put undue stress on the domestic supply chain and that would cause them to have parts shortages and would lead them down the path to bankruptcy, which is the Gods honest truth. Do you not think it was embarrassing for the CEOs to sit before congress and explain why the bail out was needed, just as it was for Mr. Toyoda to discuss the engineering parameters of the 'sudden acceleraton' which at the time was caused by driver error and the media frenzy as much as mechanical/electrical error?

Listen by reading your posts it is obvious that you are pro Japan Big 3 and will use any excuse to trash anyone who uses UAW labor, I guess a Ford or GM ran over your cat when you were little or something. But lets be real here no company is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and sometimes vehicles just don't fit your personal tastes but the bile you spew about the US built vehicles is just annoying and demonstrates your immaturity.