In my job, we track hundreds of trends. One key trend is what we call "ethical consumption." Environmental and social issues are becoming much more mainstream. People are finally taking action in the marketplace, doing things like purchasing organic produce.
It has been a hard lesson for Ford to learn that "ethical consumption" is coming – this notion that, all things being equal, consumers would choose the more sustainable product.
The debate now centers on Ford's ability to respond. People don't understand that we can't flip a switch and say: "OK, we'll just make our cars greener." Yet if we don't get more involved in sustainable product development now, we'll be so far behind that we will never be able to catch up.
The more I learn about global warming and sustainability, the more worried I become. But I certainly didn't come to this position from a "greenie" point of view. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that, as a sales representative in the field, I was working with our dealers to push back fuel economy standards, saying that global warming was not a proven, scientific fact.
There was a time at Ford when no one wanted to discuss environmental issues, in the same way that you didn't want to discuss politics or religion. Today, however, people understand that sustainability and environmentalism are no longer fringe issues and that they make strategic business sense.
The auto industry is at a crossroads, and Ford cannot continue to view itself purely as a manufacturer of 2.3 cars for every household in the United States. We must instead think of ourselves as a transportation provider. Perhaps this means embarking on fractional ownership ventures.
For example, future customers might want the flexibility to drive a minivan one day, a two-seater another and a pickup truck on the weekend. The industry must adapt to this concept and think beyond only enhanced miles per gallon. We are already seeing this in other industries.
In tough financial times, there's a very strong temptation to focus solely on today's challenges. But if we don't have a vision of where we are headed, then we are setting ourselves up for a vision of constraint, rather than a vision of choices. 
Sheryl Connelly
Ford Motor Company, Chief Marketing Office
Manager, Global Consumer Trends and Futuring
