Hackett’s Vision for Ford Leaves Wall Street Wondering

Analysts say the vision of Ford Motor Co.’s next five years, laid out on Tuesday by CEO Jim Hackett, offers impressive objectives but little detail about how the company expects to achieve them.

The lack of specifics prompted a cautious response on Wall Street to Hackett’s “100-day deep dive” presentation for investors. Ford’s stock price gained as much as 12 cents in early trading yesterday, but it ended the day at $12.30 per share, down four cents.

Hackett, who was named CEO in May, promises $14 billion in cost cuts over five years, delivered in large part by reducing the complexity of the vehicles Ford makes. Analysts point out that those types of objectives coincide with the goals of the company’s rivals.

Hackett also vows to use partnerships to help accelerate innovation as the company shifts into such technologies as electrification and self-driving vehicles. He further expects to deliver consistently strong profits along the way.