DETROIT, Mich. (WOOD) — Jim Hackett does have his favorites in the Ford lineup; the new Lincoln Navigator is one of them.
One thing he loves are the seats, and he’s not afraid to give a former competitor credit for them.
“There’s some West Michigan influence in those seats. They came from Herman Miller,” he said during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “It was a great competitor when I was at Steelcase. I’m so glad to have their influence.”
Hackett, who was appointed president and CEO of Ford Motor Company last May, has brought a lot of that West Michigan attitude to his job.
He says there are a lot of similarities between Ford and Steelcase, the Grand Rapids-based office furniture manufacturer he’s credited with transforming into a global leader over 20 years.
Both companies still have strong family shareholder influence. Hackett says that lends to a corporate culture that thinks more long term, instead of reacting to the trend of the moment.
“Second thing is, I’ve got a partner in Bill Ford. One of the greatest secrets is he knows the car business. He’s a fun guy and a great human being, very much like I was used to in West Michigan,” said Hackett.
Ford faces major challenges. Last year, the company announced efforts to transform itself to a mobility company with an emphasis on developing electrified and autonomous vehicles.
Sunday, the company announced an $11 billion commitment to just electrification, putting battery power into some of its most popular vehicles.
“Our customers are going to love it because we’re interpreting the use of this capability in vehicles they love. So for example, we’ve announced the hybrid will be in the F-150,” explained Hackett.
That’s a major part of his focus.
“What we need to do is help make sure that the technology is human-centered,” Hackett said.
“I see lots of stuff coming in the business I’m now in– it doesn’t really think about the way people are going to want to use that. And I was too well-schooled in West Michigan about paying attention to that,” he added.