of global forecast services for CSM Worldwide, which provides market forecasting for automakers, suppliers, and financial organizations. “The Japanese are being very protective of their passenger car [market] share,” he says. “It’s very difficult to take share away from some of those folks. So [Ford] strategy on an international scale is to look to emerging markets, which they feel are underserved. They can make some easy gains in terms of market share in markets like India, China, Thailand, South Africa, and Russia.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Ford continues to lead the pack with its trucks, anchored by the popular F-150 pickup truck, which sells more than 900,000 units a year (making it the best-selling vehicle on the market). “The Mustang and several Volvo models are also performing well. Right now Mustang is very, very popular,” says Robinet. “People like the styling, it’s a well-put-together vehicle, and it kind of harkens back to the emotion of the late ’60s Mustang. They can’t keep it on the lots now. People don’t pay extra money for bland vehicles.”
Generating excitement for products like the Mustang is one of Hazel’s strengths. He’s adept at understanding ever-changing market trends and adapting to them. While Ford captured market share with its trucks and SUVs, it lost ground with traditional, smaller cars — something Hazel plans to fix. “Companies, to a certain degree, have developed their own personality. And the personality of Ford, largely dominated by trucks, is sort of rural tending to suburban,” he points out. “The people who do really well in th
e car business are urban tending to suburban. So part of what we’re trying to do, or at least one of the things we have to think about, is work on this whole issue of maintaining the position we have in truck but re-establishing ourselves in car. And that means doing more with urban markets and marketing.”
Another key component will be revving up Ford Division’s network. Hazel has always had the confidence of auto dealers. For years, he’s been one of their relentless supporters within the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters. Moreover, he’s spent hours in dealership showrooms, peppering customers with questions about their aspirations, preferences, and concerns. Not only does the exec know what customers want, but he’s tuned in to the challenges dealers face in moving certain models off their lots.
MASTER OF ALL TRADES
It will take someone with Hazel’s vast skill set to bring these elements together. His experience has made him a dynamo within the company and throughout the industry. “Leaders like Darryl Hazel are intensely focused on moving the company forward,” said Jim Padilla, president and chief operating officer of Ford Motor. “His knowledge of the auto industry, relationships with dealers, and ability to drive results are helping make us a better company.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in economics from Wesleyan University and his master’s in economics from Northwestern University, Hazel joined Ford Motor in 1972 as an analyst in LM’s New York district sales office. “At the time,