HOUSTON: Ford Motor Co Executive Chairman Bill Ford said on Tuesday that he is very confident in Chief Executive James Hackett's leadership and that the automaker is considering striking supply deals with a lithium producer.
Still, attempts to ramp up electric vehicle production have been uneven. Ford's 2018 profit disappointed many investors and analysts, sparking questions about Hackett's tenure. Bill Ford, whose family founded and controls the eponymous automaker, said he fully supports Hackett's plans to expand the electric fleet, including development of an electric F-150 truck, the best-selling American vehicle for decades."I think the ability to hold the now, the near and the far all together at one time is something you don't always see in executives. And Jim has that," Ford told Reuters on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.
Ford also said he was unaware of any conversations between Alphabet Inc's Waymo self-driving vehicle unit and Volkswagen.