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The skeptics still call Ford a hypocrite. Some environmentalists challenge him for producing huge, smog-spewing trucks. Ford counters that his job is to make the company as environmentally sound as possible while making a profit. The new F-250 Super Chief concept truck, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, epitomizes the company's dual mission: the gigantic, superdeluxe truck is equipped with everything big, including brown leather club chairs and flat-screen TVs. The surprise is that it is designed to run on any one of three fuels: hydrogen, a mixture of 85% ethyl alcohol or gasoline.
Among workers, Ford's sincerity has won him loyalty. When an explosion ripped through the Rouge plant in 1999, he ignored warnings not to get involved and rushed to the site. He gave cash and a credit card to an aide, instructing him to get to the hospital and cover all expenses. Over the following days, he attended funerals and stayed close to the family members. "That was something you don't see from most CEOs," says Walter (Jeff) Washington, president of Local 900 of the United Auto Workers. "It really touched people."
Ford Motor's efforts to cut costs, go green and produce more exciting cars can already be found in some of its 2007 models. But by one measure, Ford is still heading in the wrong direction. Last week Moody's downgraded Ford's debt to a lower "junk" rating, saying it's unlikely the company will be willing to stop the slide in market share. Still, says childhood friend Mark Higbie: "Bill has picked his horse, and he's going to ride it until it crosses the finish line."
For now, Bill the boss has the support of his family, which controls 40% of the company's voting shares, worth about $1.2 billion. If there is friction, it may lie in the rivalry between Ford and his cousin Edsel, the son of Henry II, who lost out in the race for the chairman's job after a lengthy competition. Edsel, who is chairman of the Salvation Army, has said he backs Bill. Edsel's wife Cynthia says, "It's frustrating that they talk about this 'thing' with Edsel because it couldn't be farther from the truth. The family totally supports Bill. Plus, he's doing a great job for now." But those last two words may be telling.
And yet, squeezing a tea bag between his fingers as he talks, Bill Ford can sound like just another overstressed working parent. He leans forward in his shirtsleeves and launches into an impassioned conversation about kids, the struggle to balance work and family, how to plan vacations with four children's conflicting school schedules and the exhausting demands of Saturdays, running from basketball games to other activities from dawn until dusk. "It's insane, isn't it?" he says. But despite Ford's light touch, there is a sense of destiny in the air these days at his company. "This is a great American story, and the last chapter has not yet been written," says Steven Hamp, Ford's brother-in-law and chief of staff. "The outcome matters not just to our company but to our country. It's time to get inspired, strap on our guns and kick some butt."