Meltdown 101: Ford Has Suffered Less Than Rivals

DEE-ANN DURBIN

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has been riding a wave of positive public sentiment since it steered clear of bankruptcy protection and avoided taking federal bailout money — unlike its crosstown rivals, General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC.

Worldwide market share is up. And at least two analysts are predicting a quarterly profit for the automaker, which is releasing its third-quarter earnings Monday.

But headwinds persist, including weak U.S. sales and labor troubles.

How has Ford managed to outperform its Detroit competition — and what challenges lie ahead? Here are some questions and answers.

Q: What is Wall Street expecting Ford to report for the third quarter?

A: That depends on who you ask.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were predicting a loss of 13 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.31 per share in the same quarter a year ago. But J.P. Morgan auto analyst Himanshu Patel predicts a profit of 16 cents per share, citing higher production, healthier margins and lower incentive spending.