Whodah Thunk that Ford has a Jewish CEO. But more on that later. Ford’s CEO Mark Fields says that the self-driving car may be as little as 5 years away, but the Dearborn automaker won’t be there first. Not because Ford doesn’t have the capability to develop such a vehicle quickly, but because Fields wants to stay true to (the good side) of Ford’s history and ensure that such a car will be affordable for the average consumer. Fields told the Wall Street Journal, “Unlike our luxury competitors, when we do come out with an autonomous vehicle, we want to make sure it is accessible and affordable for everyone.”
Ford has already developed the beginnings of the self-driving car with auto-pilot systems such as a warning to the driver about lane departure and automatic adjusting speed. When asked about a potential partnership with Google, Fields said, “I think it will be very collaborative.”
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Shares of Ford rose 2.6% on Wednesday as the company announced a new vice President of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service as John Felice, who has worked at Ford for 31 years, is retiring. Mark LaNeve who was head of General Motors’ sales and marketing division until he became COO of Global Team Ford, will be replacing Felice.
Mark Fields, the Brooklyn born son of Romanian Jewish and Russian Jewish parents, is the first Jewish CEO of Ford. Its founder, Henry Ford, was one of the most outspoken anti-Semites in 20th century America, and published “The International Jew, ” which was read by Adolf Hitler, who praised him in Mein Kampf as “the only single man … who still maintains full independence.” Ford even attacked baseball when he wrote in 1920, “If fans wish to know the trouble with American baseball, they have it in three words–Too much Jew.” While Ford recanted his anti-semitic views publicly in 1927, as late as 1940 he said he wanted to republish “The International Jew.”
