DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. says former Ford CEO Harold "Red" Poling has died.
The long-time auto executive died Saturday in California, according to Ford. He was 86.
Bill Ford, the automaker's executive chairman, called Poling an extraordinary leader who helped turn around the company in the 1980s and 1990s.
Poling led Ford, based in Dearborn, Mich., as chairman and chief executive from 1990 until his retirement at the end of 1993.
Born in the Detroit suburb of Troy, Mich., Poling began his 43-year career at Ford in 1951 as a college graduate trainee and worked his way up through the ranks.
He led Ford's European operations in the 1970s and then went on to serve as its president and vice chairman in the 1980s.
