Bill Ford Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame

William Clay “Bill” Ford Jr. has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, which honors prominent Detroit-area auto industry figures.

Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Ford founder Henry Ford, has served as Ford's executive chairman since 1999 and is the most prominent member of the Ford family to hold a continuing role in the automaker. He held a number of lower-level positions within Ford before becoming chairman.

Ford also became CEO of the family automaker after Jack Nasser was ousted in 2001, a title he held until former Boeing executive Alan Mulally took over in 2006. Mulally then implemented policies that helped the company weather the 2008 financial crisis.

The Automotive Hall of Fame, located next to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, was established in 1939 to honor individuals who have had a major impact on the automotive industry. Recent inductees include Ferruccio Lamborghini, designers Sergio Pininfarina and Nuccio Bertone, and Takeo Fujisawa, co-founder of Honda and a driving force behind Honda's entry into the US market.

The 2024 Automotive Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place on September 19 at Michigan Central Station, a Detroit landmark that Ford has spent hundreds of millions of dollars restoring.

Other 2024 inductees include: the first female vice president of the automotive industry, Betsy Anker-Johnson; aftermarket pioneers Vic Edelbrock Sr. and Vic Edelbrock Jr. and the first African American Wendell Scott Sr. won a NASCAR race; John A. James, who broke the African-American barrier in the trucking industry; and Vivek Segal, founder of the Matherson Group, an auto parts company.