家族势力继续把持全球汽车巨头

福特汽车公司

    本月初，迪尔伯恩市处处能听到大开香槟的欢庆声，因为福特（Ford Motor）执行总裁比尔?福特宣布，首席执行官艾伦?穆拉利至少到2014年年底才退休。自2006年穆拉利接手福特公司以来，在这家由比尔?福特的祖上在1903年创建的公司中，福特家族的投资终于得到了拯救——如果不是穆拉利成功挽救了这家一度摇摇欲坠的车企，他们本以为这笔投资要就此付之东流了。

    福特家族一贯在幕后行动，但涉及到遴选——有时是解雇——掌管公司的管理层时，他们的影响力往往得到格外彰显。通过手中掌握的特别超级投票权股票，福特家族控制着40%的股东投票，在董事会的16个席位中占有两席。所以，当比尔?福特的亲密盟友马克?菲尔茨被选为穆拉利的头号接班人时，没人对此感到诧异。

    针对欧洲不断萎缩的汽车市场，福特已积极行动起来，调整在欧洲的业务规模，同时在它发力已晚的中国市场上设法迎头赶上。与此同时，福特、穆拉利和菲尔茨还必须密切关注市场份额不断萎缩的北美市场，尤其是F-150皮卡的命运，因为福特北美利润的绝大部分都由这款车贡献。

    译者：清远

Ford Motor

    You could hear the champagne corks pop all over Dearborn earlier this month when?Ford Motor(F,?Fortune 500)?executive chairman Bill Ford announced that CEO Alan Mulally would delay his retirement until at least the end of 2014. Since taking over in 2006, Mulally has rescued the Ford family's investment in the company Bill Ford's great-grandfather founded in 1903 -- one that they had considered divesting if Mulally had not been successful in rescuing the floundering automaker.

    The Ford family works quietly, but its influence is particularly evident when it comes to selecting -- and sometimes disposing of -- the executives who will run the company. Through its special super-voting shares, it controls 40% of shareholder votes and two seats on the 16-member board of directors. It surprised no one when?Mark Fields, a close ally of Bill Ford's, was moved into position as Mulally's heir presumptive.

    Ford has been moving aggressively to resize its operations in Europe in line with the shrinking market and to catch up in China, where it got a late start. And Ford, Mulally, and Fields will be keeping a close eye on North America, where the automaker has been losing market share -- and particularly on the fate of the F-150 pickup, which accounts for most, if not all of Ford's N.A. profits.