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Ford board pushing Mulally for decision amidst fears story is drowning out other news

Automakers and their executives rarely like to divulge information regarding future goings on, but the board of directors at Ford sound like they're getting a little antsy about chief executive officer Alan Mulally and his plans for 2014.
According to Reuters, as news of Mulally's possible departure to Microsoft continues to swirl, Ford's board is looking to push the affable executive to make a decision about his future sooner rather than later. Apparently, the board is growing concerned that this will-he/won't-he drama may end up distracting the media from covering Ford's other big news events next year - items like the debut of key all-new products like the Mustang and F-150.
So far, the picture for Mulally's eventual successor remains fuzzy, but it's understood that the leading candidate remains the company's chief operating officer, Mark Fields. Just recently, we heard that Mulally will stay until the end of 2014, but a few months ago, Ford seemed open to the idea of him stepping down earlier than that.

Ford Mustang GT350, GT350R order guide leaks online

Nary a day after the end of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show media days, a bombshell has been dropped in the form of the order guides for the new Shelby GT350 and GT350R. A draft of the complete guide for both track weapons popped up in the forums of Mustang6G, offering the car's biggest fans the most detailed look yet at how the new models can be outfitted. Arguably the most notable news is that Ford lists both cars not as 2016 models, but as 2015s. Wearing the codes 900A and 920A for the GT350 and GT350R, respectively, Ford lists eight available colors, including standard Mustang shades, like Oxford White, Race Red and Competition Orange, as well as a pair of exclusive hues, in Avalanche Gray and Shadow Black. Notably, neither vehicle can be optioned in the gorgeous Liquid Blue of the GT350R show car. Stripe packages are aplenty on the hottest Mustangs, with black, white and blue stripes available on both models. The R cars, though, will be distinguishable by red accents on its optional stripe groups. The standard model will feature an ebony interior, while the high-performance 'Stang will have an ebony cabin with red accents. Aesthetics aside, this order guide gives us the deepest look yet at the available equipment on both models. Not surprisingly, the options list is quite small, with the standard GT350 offering just two packages, racing stripes and a black roof (which we bet will be mutually exclusive with the stripe jobs). The standard car's Technology Pack adds MagneRide, "heavy-duty" front springs, navigation with Sync 3, leather-wrapped, climate-controlled power seats, satellite radio, dual-zone climate control and selectable driving modes. The Track Pack, meanwhile, adds the same driver-selectable modes, MagneRide and the stiffened front springs as the Tech Pack, along with coolers for the engine oil, trans and diff and a strut-tower brace. These two packs are mutually exclusive. Of course, if you're in the market for the GT350R, your only option is the Electronics Pack, which basically adds features deleted by your high-performance trim, such as a stereo and climate control. On top of that, you'll get Sync 3 with navigation and satellite radio. Head over to the Mustang6G forums for a look at the entire order guide.

Ford says utility vehicles are key to global growth

While most of us believe that small, fuel efficient cars are the key to global expansion for US automakers, Jim Farley, Ford's vice president of Global Marketing, thinks otherwise. Last week, we attended an exclusive sneak preview of the Ford Edge Concept in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show, and Farley told us that it's actually utility vehicles that will help the Blue Oval gain market share overseas. "There is no other segment in our industry that is growing like utilities," he said. "We expect over the next five years this full family of [utility] vehicles to really drive our growth as a company."
And Farley has the numbers to back it up, too. Ford projects overall automotive sales to grow 23 percent from 2012 to 2017, but the company's utility vehicles are expected to boom by an impressive 41 percent during that same period. Much of that growth will be in China, where Ford estimates its utility sales will explode. "The biggest opportunity for us globally for utilities is in China," Farley said. "China utility growth is expected to more than double from where it is today to 2017, which isn't that far away." Most astounding is that Ford projects its own utility sales in China will eventually increase by more than 2,000 percent when smaller crossovers, such as the EcoSport and Kuga (sold as the Escape in North America), and the Edge and Explorer, are factored in.
Ford's VP also expects utilities to lead the way in the struggling European market. "With all the difficulties of the European market, there is one segment that has actually expanded in volume over the last several years even though the market is way down, and that's utilities," Farley told us. Ford estimates that their utility sales will grow 65 percent in Europe from 2012-2017. "The utility segment is projected to grow we think about thirty percent between now and 2017 in Europe, and we think we are going to grow twice that rate as a brand," Farley continued.