Donald Petersen, Former Ford Chairman and CEO, Dies at 97
- Donald Petersen, Ford chairman and CEO from 1985 to 1990, worked at Ford for over four decades and is rightly seen as a bright spot during a difficult time.
Former Ford chairman and CEO Donald E. Petersen dedicated more than 40 years to the automaker, and his career is being remembered with high praise as the industry hears the news that he has died this week at his home in Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit. He was 97.
Petersen was also warmly regarded during much of his time at Ford. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1992. This followed a double honor from the organization in 1987 when he won the Industry Leader of the Year Award and a Distinguished Service Citation Award. According to the AHoF, Peterson was also named a “Most Valuable Person of 1988″ by USA Today and”CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine the following year. When Petersen, a mechanical engineer, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1988, the voters cited his “outstanding leadership in the development of high-quality, smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient, and more socially acceptable automobiles.”
Some of that success came from the 1985 introduction of the Taurus, which was partly a response to higher-quality vehicles from Japanese competitors Toyota and Honda. The AHoF said Petersen’s leadership got Ford designers to “create vehicles they would be proud to park in their own driveways” to challenge the growth of Japanese vehicle sales in the U.S. The resulting Taurus (and Mercury Sable) became bestsellers in the 1980s.
1986 Ford Taurus.
The official accolades are likely less important to muscle-car history buffs than Petersen’s role in killing off the mid-1980s plan for a reborn Mustang without a V-8, which Ford had intended to put on a front-wheel-drive platform. Petersen, Ford’s president during that time, responded to a deluge of hate mail criticizing the idea—much of it rumored to be addressed to him as “Dear Asshole”—by smartly canceling that plan. The engineering work would become the Ford Probe, in collaboration with Mazda.
1985 Ford Mustang GT.
When we reviewed the 1985 Mustang, we credited Peterson with being “eager to make year-by-year installments toward the mechanical perfection of the Mustang” and commented: “Perseverance pays off. In this case, perseverance is spelled Donald Petersen.” No, the 1985 Mustang didn’t achieve that ideal state, but Peterson was responsible for getting it closer than it would have been otherwise. Ford also introduced its well-known “Quality is Job One” slogan during Petersen’s tenure as CEO.
Petersen and Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole check out an airbag, 1985.
Working with Mazda on the Probe was just one way Peterson interacted with other car companies during his tenure. Ford acquired 75 percent of Aston Martin Lagonda, Ltd. in 1987 and bought Jaguar Cars for $2.5 billion in 1989. According to those who worked with him, one of Petersen’s defining traits was his direct approach to addressing problems. At times, Petersen was at loggerheads with the Ford family, but some reports of his managerial style cite his ability to foster a collaborative workplace, inside and outside the company.
Petersen is survived by his wife, a daughter and son, a granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters. Funeral arrangements are private.