Ford is shutting down manufacturing plants, buying out thousands of employees and rolling out new product lines.
"What we're doing now will make us a stronger company in the future," Truck Marketing Manager Todd Eckert said in an interview before speaking to the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. "We'll be back to profitability by 2009."
Eckert visited El Paso as part of a national promotional campaign, in which company officials plan to meet with business and community leaders in 100 cities in 100 days.
Ford lost $7 billion during the first nine months of this year, has about 38,000 hourly workers who have signed up for buyouts and early retirement packages, and plans to shut 16 plants, according to the Associated Press.
A key part of Ford's revitalization efforts includes a move toward new technology that's designed to improve fuel efficiency and lessen the country's dependence on foreign oil, Eckert said.
Eckert cited the 2008 Super Duty pickup that will be available in February with the company's new "clean" diesel technology.
Ford's new Edge, a smaller, more fuel-efficient "crossover" utility vehicle, will be sold starting this month, he added.
"It's all about a product-based revitalization," Eckert said. "That's what consumers demand."
Luke Metzger, director of Austin group Environment Texas, says that "clearly there is a big need for more fuel-efficient vehicles."
"Unfortunately, (Ford's) efforts have been pathetic so far, and they're getting creamed by Japanese automakers who have long recognized this," Metzger said.
Ford was the first automaker to offer a hybrid SUV with the 2005 Escape, according to its Web site.
Bill Haas, vice president-general manager at Shamaley Ford, says he's optimistic about the company's future.
"Periodically, domestic automakers have gone through some good times and some bad times," Haas said. "I think we'll get through this just fine. Management is very aggressive, and they're concerned with what people want, where we're going and our dependence on oil.
"And our quality has never been higher," he added.
Seventy percent of the Ford product line will be brand-new by the end of 2008, and by 2010, Ford will offer an entirely new product line, Eckert said.
"Texas is a very important market for us, and El Paso is a very important city for us," Eckert said.
About 17 percent of all F Series trucks sold in the nation are sold in Texas, he noted. El Paso's three Ford dealerships each ranked in the top 6 percent nationally for F Series truck sales and in the top 10 percent for all vehicles, he added.
Dave Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com; 546-6126.