Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally says he has NOT told his company's board when he will retire-- contrary to recent media speculation.
Mulally's retirement date is an obsessively pursued story in the auto press.
Bloomberg, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal especially are all vying to be the first to get it right.
Bloomberg said last week that the Board of Ford Motor Company was poised to promote Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas.
Fields was to be named Chief Operating Officer, according to the story -- a stepping stone to CEO -- and Mulally was to retire at the end of 2013.
But Mulally said Tuesday that he has not told the Board when he plans to retire. He said he plans to continue as Ford's CEO for some time.
Mulally is well-liked, and much admired for steering Ford through the recession without resorting to bankruptcy.
Under his leadership Ford became smaller but more focused and the quality of its vehicles improved.
There's little sign the energetic 67-year-old is slowing down.
In the past few weeks, he completed a tour of Europe and Spain. Tuesday, he presided over the launch of the new Fusion in New York.
