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Ford board OK with Mulally stepping down earlier

Ford's board is open to CEO Alan Mulally stepping down before his planned departure in 2014, inside sources are telling Reuters. Ford's plan of succession, aside from who would be his actual successor, has been something approaching common knowledge - the 68-year-old former Boeing exec had plans to stay through 2014. This was recently confirmed by Mulally himself on Bloomberg Television and in Automotive News.
Motivation for the about-face comes from what Reuters calls a "growing confidence" in the current crop of Ford execs, led by Mark Fields. Fields, Ford's current chief operating officer, has been tipped as Mulally's ultimate successor, although he's far from the only person with eyes on Ford's top job. Normally, Ford's board saying they're open to an executive, that's done very well for the company, stepping down early would be nearly unremarkable. It's the timing of this announcement, though, that makes this a big piece of news.
Recently, Mulally has been the subject of rumors that he's interested in taking the CEO position at tech giant Microsoft. The Redmond, Washington-based company's CEO, Steve Ballmer, told the media in August that he'd be retiring in a year's time. The fires were stoked when tech website AllThingsD speculated that Mulally would take the top spot, despite denials from the man himself. Could Ford's current boss become the new top dog at Microsoft? Will Mark Fields replace him? Could recently departed Renault exec Carlos Tavares land at Ford in some capacity? Let us know what you think below in Comments.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R-C set to storm Watkins Glen

Ford is bringing its latest high-performance Mustang back to the track with the new 2016 GT350R-C, which will debut and race in this weekend's IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Watkins Glen. The spiritual successor to the Boss 302R that's still taking part in the Continental Tire series today, the first GT350R-C will be campaigned by Multimatic Motorsports. It's had its fully independent suspension completely revised for the track, and it gets everything from new spring rates to new anti-roll bars to a lowered ride height. Like the road-going GT350, a 5.2-liter, flat-plane-crank V8 sits under the hood, although Ford didn't release any specifics on power output. In fact, details are in short supply. We're expecting some sort of sequential racing transmission, wildly enhanced brakes, and a thoroughly race-prepared cabin, although Ford hasn't released any info on that stuff. The Blue Oval also hasn't said anything about the aerodynamic package, but strangely, it looks more or less like what's featured on the standard GT350R. The front fascia and rear wing are pretty much identical, and even the side sills seem roughly similar to the production model. "Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race," Ford's director of global performance, Dave Pericak, said in the attached press release. "We're taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we're ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world." Scroll down for the official press release from Ford. And if you're so inclined, you can check out the GT350R-C's debut race this weekend at IMSA.com, with coverage starting at 12:25 P.M. If you prefer normal TV, Fox Sports 1 will get around to re-broadcasting the race on July 5 at 10:00 A.M. Related Video: Ford Performance Shelby GT350R-C to Make IMSA Competition Debut at Watkins Glen • All-new Shelby® GT350R-C embodies Ford innovation through performance as race car makes its competition debut this weekend at Watkins Glen • Shelby GT350R-C to compete in the remainder of the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge with Multimatic Motorsports • Competition version of Shelby GT350R features all-new 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 created to extend on-track performance DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2015 – There's no mistaking the wicked sound or aggressive looks of the all-new Shelby® GT350R-C that Ford announced today would see its first official track time at Watkins Glen this weekend.

Is it time for American carmakers to give up on dual-clutch transmissions? [w/poll]

Last week, in the midst of Detroit's first days seeking relief in Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code, Automotive News contributor Larry P. Vellequette penned an editorial suggesting that American car companies raise the white flag on dual clutch transmissions and give up on trying to persuade Americans to buy cars fitted with them. Why? Because, Vellequette says, like CVT transmissions, they "just don't sound right or feel right to American drivers." (Note: In the article, it's not clear if Vellequette is arguing against wet-clutch and dry-clutch DCTs or just dry-clutch DCTs, which is what Ford and Chrysler use.) The article goes on to state that Ford and Chrysler have experimented with DCTs and that both consumers and the automotive press haven't exactly given them glowing reviews, despite their quicker shifts and increased fuel efficiency potential compared to torque-converter automatic transmissions.
Autoblog staffers who weighed in on the relevance of DCTs in American cars generally disagreed with the blanket nature of Vellequette's statement that they don't sound or feel right, but admit that their lack of refinement compared to traditional automatics can be an issue for consumers. That's particularly true in workaday cars like the Ford Focus and Dodge Dart, both of which have come in for criticism in reviews and owner surveys. From where we sit, the higher-performance orientation of such transmissions doesn't always meld as well with the marching orders of everyday commuters (particularly if drivers haven't been educated as to the transmission's benefits and tradeoffs), and in models not fitted with paddle shifters, it's particularly hard for drivers to use a DCT to its best advantage.
Finally, we also note that DCT tuning is very much an evolving science. For instance, Autoblog editors who objected to dual-clutch tuning in the Dart have more recently found the technology agreeable in the Fiat 500L. Practice makes perfect - or at least more acceptable.