MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- Ford Motor Co., which has suffered losses the past two years, said Wednesday it will take advantage of its Japanese partner, Mazda Motor Corp., to bolster its global presence.
"We integrated Mazda far more closely into Ford and Ford into Mazda," Nick Scheele, chief operating officer of Ford, said in an interview during the press preview day of the Tokyo Motor Show. "We are seeing the benefits of that."
Mazda has successfully improved its performance since Ford acquired a 33.4 percent stake in 1996 to help the Japanese carmaker escape financial problems.