An Interesting Interview: Ford CEO Alan Mulally

Keith Johnson:

Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally is apparently willing to go to great lengths to win back customers for the auto maker.

Speaking at the WSJ ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara, Calif., Mr. Mulally said Ford has made great improvements in quality, and acknowledged the company hadn't always produced the best cars in the past.

When a member of the audience said he hadn't owned a Ford since the Pinto was in fashion, and wondered what the company was doing to win back this "lost generation," Mr. Mulally made an immediate offer: "I'll meet you in your room later."

As laughter rippled through the audience, Mr. Mulally himself smiled and chuckled at the double meaning of the remark.

"We really have lost a generation," he said, turning back to the issue at hand. In the past, Ford "did not have a consistency of purpose," he said, but is now committed to producing vehicles that are "best in class."

He reiterated that Ford's mix of vehicles will do a 180 in coming years, with light cars--rather than trucks and SUVs-representing two-thirds of the automaker's lineup, as rising energy prices make fuel-efficient cars a priority for consumers.