Job 1 for new Ford executive: Selling EcoBoost

At Ford's recent holiday media party, which was held in the same complex where Farley's grandfather once worked in a Ford foundry, Farley skipped the hors d'oeuvres and huddled in a back room with one of the maintenance men so he could get an honest opinion of the new F-150.

"That's me. I'm off somewhere else. That's what I'm good at. I'm good at diving in, unlocking the secrets, and really taking advantage of opportunities where it looks hard to others," Farley said.

"I enjoy it, and I think there's no bigger opportunity in the automotive space than Ford Motor Company right now, because I think it's a brand people really do love."

Alexander Edwards, who heads the automotive division of the San Diego-based Strategic Vision consulting group, said Farley was extremely well-regarded at Toyota. Ford's current workers have survived drastic employment cuts and are eager for leadership, Edwards said.

"Jim Farley is someone who knows what can be done if he understands the culture Ford is in right now," Edwards said. "The message needs to be reassurance, both to the people who will be working at Ford and to the customers."

In recent years, Ford has been battered by fierce competition, quality issues and high gas prices, which slashed sales of sport utility vehicles. Ford lost $12.7 billion in 2006, and the company's U.S. market share has plummeted to 15 percent from 25 percent a decade ago.

The latest blow came last week, when Toyota overtook Ford as the No. 2 automaker by U.S. sales behind GM, a position Ford had held for 75 years.

In the past, Farley said, Ford did not have a good enough story to tell to customers. But the company has vastly improved quality, safety, resale value and other measures, and those strides have been noted by Consumer Reports and others. Its crossovers — the Ford Edge, Ford Escape and Lincoln MKX — were runaway hits in 2007, and the F-150 remains the best-selling vehicle in the U.S.

But Ford cars still are not getting the consideration they should, he said, so he is developing a new marketing plan that will try to re-establish trust. As part of that plan, he wants to decentralize marketing, involve more local dealers and make better use of auto shows.

"That's the place where you can turn people on. So many companies go to auto shows and it's like a parking lot," he said. "It should be a hands-on museum, like a kids' museum."

Farley said he feels a deep obligation to Ford's workers to communicate the company's progress. He's gone so far as to meet with psychologists to figure out how to reach customers who are apathetic about the company.

"We can't unlock this unless we're real honest. We have to look in the mirror and say, 'OK, no baloney. Where are we with customers? Take away Mustang and F-series, and where are we? Who are we?'" he said.

"When I do that, I see customers who want Ford to succeed, but they put the burden of responsibility on the company to unlock that key. You tell me why I should care about your company."

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