Ford Motor’s appointment of an outsider as CEO has raised questions about the future of its fastest-rising executive, Mark Fields. Fields, 45, Ford's head of North American operations, had been widely considered the heir apparent to Bill Ford Jr as the next chief executive. But in a move that surprised industry watchers, Bill Ford named Boeing executive Alan Mulally, 61, as CEO, ending his own troubled five-year stint as operational head of the company founded by his great-grandfather.

Ford said Fields would retain responsibility for spearheading the automaker's turnaround at home, which is its largest and most difficult market. Analysts said Fields' role could change after Mulally's arrival, with one suggesting the younger executive could still be in line to take over Ford after the current crisis.

Fields arrived at Ford's headquarters in 2005, after running its Europe division. He has also run Ford's Premium Automotive Group, which includes the Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo brands. He is widely credited for turning around Mazda, in which Ford has a controlling stake. He is in charge of plans to accelerate the restructuring at Ford's money-losing North American operations.

Ford posted a $1.44 billion (Rs 6,600 crore) loss in the first half of the year, and its US sales this year declined by nearly 10 percent through August. The company has announced in January that it would cut 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants in North America by 2012.

In July, citing an unexpectedly steep decline in sales of its market-leading trucks, Ford said it would speed up and deepen that turnaround plan, dubbed the "Way Forward." Asked about the restructuring Fields has said that his line answer was to see the enterprise succeed.