A couple of interesting recent news stories about Ford.

From today’s Sun-Times, it looks like Ford is hiring back 300 workers at an Illinois plant that makes the Explorer. Who knew that American industry could create jobs without stimulus money?

And from CBS, Ford is running its plant that makes the full-size F150 trucks 24/7. This bit on how Ford is moving forward on raising fuel economy stood out:

Ford made money in the ’90s selling pickups and SUVs but, to survive in the future, Mulally is convinced there needs to be more: “We made a commitment that every vehicle, no matter what its size, whether it’s a car, a Fiesta, a Focus, a Fusion, a Mustang, an Escape or an Explorer, all the way up to a 150, no matter what the vehicle size, every year we’re going to improve the fuel efficiency and the quality and the safety, and then the American public can decide exactly what vehicle works for them.”

Imagine that. Let the market decide.