A Magic Moment For Ford of Europe

摘要

There's little doubt that Ford Motor's European unit is coming through the global auto slump better than most rivals. But even Ford of Europe boss John Fleming concedes that luck has played a role in that success. Four years ago, Ford scheduled an autumn 2008 launch for redesigned versions of its Fiesta and Ka small cars. That, as it turns out, was exactly when governments from Germany to Serbia started showering cash on citizens who trade in older gas - guzzlers for new, fuel-efficient vehicles. "We knew there was huge pressure on fuel economy and CO_2 emissions," Fleming says. "But to get the Fiesta and Ka out right at the bottom of the recession-we didn't plan that."