LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) - Ford showrooms are abuzz with talk of turning the corner. The automaker surprised everyone by posting big profits for the first time in years. Not so long ago Ford was considered in the worst shape of the Detroit 3, but not anymore.
Ford posted a third quarter profit of nearly $1 billion. It's the first quarter that the automaker has been in the black since early 2005, and the company predicts it will be solidly profitable by 2011.
Rick and Karen Bennett are part of a growing trend; they just bought a new Ford. It's happening across the country, and it's why the Blue Oval is celebrating a profit of almost a billion dollars during the third quarter.
"I loved that they're supposed to be profitable by 2011. They're doing stuff right," said one customer.
At Bill Brown Ford buyers like what they see this year and what they didn't see last year. Ford's ability to go it alone without loans from the government gets high marks from customers.
But while Ford is riding high, they still face major challenges. Unlike Chrysler and GM, Ford didn't take a quick ride through bankruptcy, and it still has billions of dollars of debt on its books. The company has reduced its staff by over 40 percent in the past three years.
"We had to restructure," said Ford CEO Alan Mulally. "We had to adapt, otherwise we couldn't have been here to design new cars."
The sales manager at Bill Brown Ford says he hopes workers and management can come to some kind of agreement soon. Harmony between the two means better cars and better sales.
