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Ford posts $2.7bn annual profit Ford posts $2.7bn annual profit
(20 minutes later)
Ford has posted an annual profit for the first time in four years.Ford has posted an annual profit for the first time in four years.
The carmaker made $2.7bn (£1.7bn) in 2009, and said it expects to be profitable this year as well. The carmaker made $2.7bn (£1.7bn) in 2009, compared with a loss of almost $15bn in 2008, and said it expects to be profitable this year as well.
For the final three months of last year, the company made $868m, a dramatic improvement on the $6bn loss it made a year earlier.For the final three months of last year, the company made $868m, a dramatic improvement on the $6bn loss it made a year earlier.
Ford attributed its annual profit to cutting costs and reducing debt. The firm is also enjoying goodwill for avoiding bankruptcy, analysts said. Ford said its return to profitability was in part due to cutting costs and reducing debt levels.
Revenue for the full year was $118.3bn, $19.8bn less than in 2008.
The firm is also enjoying goodwill for avoiding bankruptcy, analysts said.
The carmaker's big rivals General Motors and Chrysler, which together with Ford make up the so-called Detroit Three, both took billions of dollars in state aid and went into bankruptcy protection last summer.The carmaker's big rivals General Motors and Chrysler, which together with Ford make up the so-called Detroit Three, both took billions of dollars in state aid and went into bankruptcy protection last summer.
"While we still face significant challenges ahead, 2009 was a pivotal year for Ford and the strongest proof yet that our One Ford plan is working and that we are forging a path toward profitable growth," said Ford president and chief executive Alan Mulally.
Most carmakers struggled last year due to falling sales during the downturn.