Mulally Promises to Stick with Ford Until Profitability

Ford Motor's CEO Alan Mulally, who's turning 64 in August, confirmed he'll stay at the helm of the American manufacturer until profitability and even afterwards if things are going okay. Until now, most of the Ford's chief executives retired at the age of 65 which means, if Mulally follows the same trend, he doesn't stick with the company until it gets back on track.

But Mulally says he'll be there when Ford comes back to profit, according to The Detroit News, who spoke with him.

"As long as I'm contributing, I'm honored to serve Ford," he said last week. "But I'm one person on a fabulous team. Ford is in a different place. It's running itself like a business. One of my highest priorities is to develop a process inside Ford that is very reliable. I think Ford is going to be just fine. But I am walking on the sidewalk. I like it here."

Still, there's one big question that pops in our minds: what will happen after the Mulally era? Is there somebody ready to replace him and manage Ford after such difficult economic times? Well, nobody knows for sure, with analysts revealing that Ford's management board might become a little chaotic after the departure of Alan Mulally.

"The only scary thing is what happens when Mulally leaves," said Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research. "The family feuds could start again."

Ford is the only automaker who survived in the United States without the need for government assistance and expects to return to profitability in 2011. The company has already started massive restructuring worldwide, with models sold in Europe and often referred to as extremely fuel efficient and environmentally friendly brought in the US to refresh the local gas-guzzling product range.