• Detroit Free Press, Thursday, September 16, 2010 10:46 AM

Is Ford grooming Jim Farley to succeed president and CEO Alan Mulally? In an article profiling Ford's global marketing chief, Brent Snavely notes that Farley needed operational experience "so Mulally put him in charge of all Ford business in Canada, Mexico and South America."

Ford will soon introduce 10 cars, crossovers and SUVs based on its compact Focus as well as a new global version of its midsize Fusion and will look for small-car sales growth from its new Ford Fiesta. The automaker is also trying to gain sales in India and China.

"All of these products are going to be coming out in the next two years," Farley said. "Do I want to spend my time launching these products, getting the dealer network right, getting the launches perfect and setting up the distribution network in Asia? Or do I want to spend 20% of my time doing that and 80% working on the product in South America?"

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