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Mulally confirms he's not leaving Ford for Microsoft

In recent months, rumors had been flying about Ford CEO Alan Mulally potentially leaving the company to take a position at Microsoft. Last we heard, Mulally was planning to stick around at Ford through at least 2014, and in an interview today, that bit was confirmed by the CEO himself.
According to the Associated Press, in a report from The Detroit News, Mulally said he will not be leaving Ford for Microsoft, and reiterated that he will remain at the Blue Oval through 2014, if not longer. Mulally has "no plans other than to serve Ford," according to the report.
Mulally did not say whether or not he had been in talks with Microsoft at any point. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said he plans to leave the software company sometime this year.

Generation Z prefers Ford, wants better fuel efficiency

Fear not the future, dear green-car enthusiast. For the youngest drivers like good gas mileage. And they don't really like SUVs or trucks. Breathe easier. About 80 percent of drivers ages 16 to 21, part of what's known as 'Generation Z,' prefer cars more than any other type of larger light-duty vehicle, with about half of that group preferring compact cars, The Detroit News says, citing data company MaritzCX. That company polled about 1,100 prospective young car buyers and found them to put a priority on fuel economy because that group is... well, cheap. To put that demographic's vehicle choice into perspective, just a third of light-duty vehicles sold in the US last year were cars, while the rest were SUVs and trucks. So the future is bright, and possibly devoid of some of the smog we're now seeing. Meanwhile, Ford is the most popular brand among younger drivers, again reflecting that company's more recent emphasis on hybrids, plug-ins and high-fuel-economy gas-burning engines. Ford's US green car sales fell 1.4 percent last year to about 86,500 units (falling C-Max Hybrid demand pulled the American automaker's numbers down), so we'd think that this is very welcome news for the Blue Oval. Featured Gallery 2013 Ford C-Max Energi: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: The Detroit News Green Ford Fuel Efficiency

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says manufacturing can reopen May 11

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday said the state's factories can reopen next Monday, May 11, removing one of the last major obstacles to North American automakers bringing thousands of laid-off employees back to work amid the coronavirus pandemic. While reopening the manufacturing sector, Whitmer also extended her state's stay-at-home order by about two weeks to May 28, citing a desire to avoid a second wave of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. “WeÂ’re not out of the woods yet, but this is an important step forward," Whitmer said in a statement. "As we continue to phase in sectors of our economy, I will keep working around the clock to ensure our businesses adopt best practices to protect workers." This week, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said they were targeting resuming vehicle production in North America on May 18, but suppliers would need time to prepare ahead for that date. Ford has not said what date it is targeting. The governor previously extended the state's coronavirus stay-at-home order through May 15, but had lifted restrictions for some businesses. Neighboring Ohio had allowed manufacturing to resume this past Monday, putting pressure on Whitmer to follow suit. Michigan's shutdown had stymied efforts by the Detroit Three and rival automakers to restart vehicle assembly anywhere in the United States, because so many critical parts suppliers are based in the state. Automakers and their suppliers already have begun gearing up for a possible resumption of work at their U.S. plants, but needed the official go-ahead from Whitmer. Industry officials had been pressing Whitmer to allow suppliers to reopen starting May 11 so the automakers could resume operations on their target date. They also wanted the green light so they can press Mexico to open its auto sector as suppliers there are also critical for the industry restart. The automakers' plans were tacitly approved on Tuesday by the United Auto Workers union, which represents the Detroit automakers' hourly U.S. plant workers. The union had previously said early May was "too soon and too risky" to restart manufacturing. Under Whitmer's new order, factories must adopt measures to protect workers, including daily entry screening, no-touch temperature screening as soon as possible and use of protective gear like face masks. Automakers have already rolled out such policies.