For anyone who thought that legacy automaker Ford (F) was abandoning the European market, think again. In fact, Ford just moved to fill one crucial opening therein, one that had left a “leadership vacuum” in the region. This proved great news for Ford, as investors sent shares up over 2% in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
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Ford pulled out the big chair in Europe to its head of German operations Christian Weingartner, promoting him to vice president of Europe business transformation, noted a report from Automotive News Europe. Weingartner is tasked with “…the transformation of…Ford’s operations in Europe across all business lines….” This not only includes passenger cars, but also commercial vehicles.
Weingartner will report directly to Ford’s chief financial officer, John Lawler. Meanwhile, directly under Weingartner, Jon Williams will continue as the head of Ford’s passenger car division, while Hans Schep has the duty on commercial vehicles. Weingartner has been part of Ford since 2020 when he joined Ford of Europe as head of strategy, and has been in charge of the German, Austrian and Swiss operations since 2022.
A Fresh-Faced Ranger
Meanwhile, there are good signs ahead for the Ford Ranger line, noted a report in WTOP News. The mid-sized truck segment has suffered from a shortfall in available models of late, the report noted, but the Ranger may be able to turn that around.
The report noted that the Ranger has had a substantial makeover, starting by fixing some key complaints about earlier models. The “dated-looking interior” has received several upgrades for the 2025 model year. Though the engine might be a little light—it starts in the four-cylinder range and offers a V6 in the XLT package and up—it should provide a more compact and easier to work with experience overall. It is said to be particularly good in tight spaces.
Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on three Buys, seven Holds and three Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 6.63% loss in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $10.31 per share implies 3.1% upside potential.
