NAIAS Blog: Ford Presents...

As usual, the Blue Oval went for an all-in-one presentation in the Cobo Arena - home to the Detroit Redwings. The outlook by Bill Ford and Alan Mullally was optimistic - with much of that optimism coming from the presentation of the new F-150 with trick new features like a fold out gate step and Navi that tells you gas station pricing. Ford's best seller was joined on stage by country singer Toby Keith, bull-rider Justin McBride, NASCAR truck driver Rick Crawford and Blue Thunder monster truck driver Lindsay Wink. There'll be 35 configurations for the F-150 when it comes out, and a number of those sat onstage.

Ford's push towards sustainability was the other side of the blue pitch. There's a newly forming advisory council within Ford and made of execs from outside the auto industry. More importantly for Ford, there were concepts like the Explorer America and Verve sedan that show the company's movement in that direction. Even better, there'll be six new models coming out this year, like the EcoBoost Flex, which should help the Blue Oval be more green.