It’s time to deliver for Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Hackett.
The auto industry outsider hired to guide the company through an uncertain transition into mobility, electrification and self-driving cars is methodically pushing for a new mindset in Ford’s infamously insular culture. That’s exactly what Wall Street — and the automaker’s board of directors — want to see.
A strategic update set for late afternoon Tuesday in New York is raising expectations among investors and industry analysts that the Blue Oval’s new CEO will begin to deliver what one analyst called “profound cultural and structural change” to the 114-year-old automaker.
The stakes are huge. Ford’s share price remains stuck in neutral as investors favor rival General Motors Co. Meanwhile, the quickening pace of change, driven by Silicon Valley’s increasingly heavy investments in mobility and self-driving cars, is increasing pressure on traditional automakers — arguably none more than Ford — as investors seek clues to what moves Hackett will make and how bold they will turn out to be.