Average Joes Are Now Going Green

Five years ago Bill Ford said selling a green agenda was an uphill fight. Now, says the Ford Motor chairman, it's catching on inside his company and worldwide. He spoke with NEWSWEEK's Keith Naughton. Excerpts:

NAUGHTON: In a $3-gas world, is a product line that's two-thirds trucks and SUVs sustainable?

FORD: Well, it is changing. And not because we're abandoning the truck market. In fact, we're vigorously defending there. But we're also pushing hard into new segments, recognizing a shift in the marketplace. We just didn't anticipate the speed with which it would happen. If you took a snapshot of our product lineup a year ago, it certainly wouldn't look like that two years from now.

What will it look like?

Without tipping our future product plans, it will be more fuel-efficient, and there will be a somewhat smaller shift in our product emphasis.

You've backed off your pledge to build 250,000 hybrids by 2010, and are putting greater emphasis on ethanol-fueled cars. What's your latest view on hybrids?