Last night, I was cleaning house while listening to a rerun of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and looked over long enough to catch sight of a preproduction Ford Flex given to the family.
For all the hype, however, the car's designer reportedly couldn't escape a round of layoffs at the struggling U.S. carmaker.
From the Detroit Free Press:
A week ago, Richard Gresens, the chief designer of the 2009 Ford Flex, was showing off the aerodynamics of Ford Motor Co.'s boxy new 7-seat crossover in a wind tunnel in Allen Park.
But now, Gresens finds himself a casualty of the company's effort to cut salaried-related costs by 15% by Aug. 1, several people with knowledge of his involuntary dismissal told the Free Press. Gresens could not be reached, and Ford officials declined to comment on the layoff.
It's a good reminder for all of us that when companies need to cut costs, none of us are immune.
Barry Leiba of NY @ Jul 28, 2008 14:49:02 PM