DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its chief executive, Alan Mulally, would keep his position until 2014, but that Mark Fields, the head of its Americas division, would become chief operating officer and assume day-to-day responsibility for running the business.
The management changes solidified a closely watched succession race at Ford, the nation’s second-largest automaker, and reassured investors concerned about an earlier departure by Mulally.
The decision to promote Fields was made by Ford’s board of directors at its Oct. 19 meeting and was announced Thursday by Mulally and William C. Ford Jr., the company’s executive chairman.
