Ford has suffered less than rivals

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has been riding a wave of positive public sentiment since it steered clear of bankruptcy protection and avoided taking federal bailout money — unlike its crosstown rivals, General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC.

Worldwide market share is up. And at least two analysts are predicting a quarterly profit for the automaker, which is releasing its third-quarter earnings today.

But headwinds persist, including weak U.S. sales and labor troubles.

How has Ford managed to outperform its Detroit competition — and what challenges lie ahead? Here are some questions and answers.

Q. What is Wall Street expecting Ford to report for the third quarter?

A. That depends on whom you ask.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were predicting a loss of 13 cents per share, compared with a loss of $1.31 per share in the same quarter a year ago. But J.P. Morgan auto analyst Himanshu Patel predicts a profit of 16 cents per share, citing higher production, healthier margins and lower incentive spending.

Ford reported a surprise $2.3 billion profit in the second quarter, mainly due to debt reductions that cut annual interest payments. Ford says it aims to return to a full-year profit in 2011. The company lost more than $14.6 billion in 2008 and hasn’t posted a profit since 2005.

Q. How did Ford escape bankruptcy protection and federal aid, unlike GM and Chrysler?

A. In 2006, Ford mortgaged its assets — including plants and its blue oval logo — for $23.4 billion to fund its turnaround plan. The credit markets later froze, making it impossible for its rivals to obtain similar financing.

Q. What else sets Ford apart from its domestic competitors?

A. Ford gets consistently solid quality and reliability rankings.

The automaker won kudos last week with the release of Consumer Reports’ 2010 vehicle reliability rankings. The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize sedans beat out Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry and Honda Motor Co.’s Accord, and 46 of 51 Ford vehicles had average or better reliability.

By comparison, less than half of GM’s 48 models scored that well, and the Chrysler brand finished last out of 33 brands in the survey.

Q. How have Ford’s sales fared in the tough economic climate?

A. Ford’s U.S. sales were down 22 percent in the first nine months of this year, compared with the same period in 2008, as the industry struggled through its worst year in a quarter century. But Ford is siphoning customers from its rivals. It posted the largest increase in market share of any automaker in September, and expects an overall gain in U.S. market share in 2009, a feat it hasn’t accomplished since 1995.

Q. Did the Cash for Clunkers program help Ford?

A. The Ford Focus and Ford Escape were among the top-five sellers in the government’s Cash for Clunkers program in late July and August. The program allowed Ford to spend less on rebates, and helped profitability as the company boosted production to replenish inventory. But sales slumped in September after the program ended.

Q. How could Ford’s labor problems hurt its turnaround efforts?

A. Ford workers agreed to $500 million in concessions earlier this year, while workers at GM and Chrysler approved concessions that saved their companies more than $1 billion each.

Ford and the United Auto Workers union agreed in October to contract changes that would bring Ford’s labor costs in line with GM and Chrysler. But the UAW has had trouble getting Ford’s 41,000 UAW members to agree to further concessions, in part because workers view the company as healthier than its Detroit rivals.

Ford workers have overwhelmingly rejected contract changes that would have allowed the automaker to cut labor costs, leaving Ford at a disadvantage to its Detroit rivals as it continues its struggle to return to profitability. The United Auto Workers union had given local unions until today to complete voting, but a person briefed on the voting said Saturday that the contract changes have been rejected by large margins.

Q. What other issues could hurt Ford’s turnaround?

A. Ford had $26 billion in debt at the end of the second quarter, and has been unable to cut costs as deeply as GM and Chrysler were able to do in bankruptcy.

Ford also has said its return to profitability relies, in part, on a recovery in U.S. and European sales, but it’s unclear how quickly those markets will turn around.

Customers’ continued shift away from profitable sport utility vehicles and pickups to lower- margin small cars also is a continuing challenge.

The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.