Jim Farley's gambit to leave a flourishing Toyota career to help save a foundering Ford at the outset of the Great Recession has paid off, but he will have much on his agenda when he takes charge Oct. 1.

After being elevated to chief operating officier in February, Farley convinced his bosses, Jim Hackett and Bill Ford, that it was time for him to take over the company with the leadership he demonstrated amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hackett will step down Oct. 1 after leading the company for more than three years. Ford said Hackett would work with Farley, a former head of Ford in Europe, to ensure a smooth transition.

Engineering expert Sandy Munro tore apart a Tesla Model Y to see what makes it tick. What he concluded is that the rest of the industry has some catching up to do.

The automaker lost $1.9 billion before interest and taxes and one-time items in the quarter as revenue fell 50 percent to $19.4 billion. Ford lost money in every region it operates in, including a $664 million loss in Europe.

The automaker will use two dog-like robots, nicknamed "Fluffy" and "Spot," to create a virtual scan of its U.S. Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Michigan.

A site outside Austin, Texas, beat out Tulsa for the automaker's newest U.S. factory, with construction already underway.

The electric vehicle maker was aided by a hefty increase in sales of regulatory credits and lower operating costs while factory shutdowns prompted by the coronavirus outbreak added pressure.

The automaker intends to use the one-off prototype as an example of what EVs can do to build excitement for the launch of the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover this year.

In engineering what it calls a new off-road benchmark, the company hopes to win back turf long ago ceded to rivals -- notably Jeep -- with a pair of highly customizable utility vehicles.

The feature will be available in the third quarter of 2021 on certain vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E.

Customers are refusing delivery of the new model over "significant defects," according to the blog Electrek.

The U.S. president chose not to wear a mask in front of cameras as he toured the facility in Michigan, where he congratulated the automaker for its role in providing medical equipment.

Lines at the plants were temporarily idled Tuesday and Wednesday, underscoring how production is resuming in fits and starts across the industry, even with new operating protocols.

The automaker posted net income of $16 million for the first three months, with the help of $354 million in emissions credits sold to competitors.