Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has been one of the "greenest" auto companies in recent times insofar as U.S.-based car and truck companies. Realizing that hybrid technology and fuel-efficient engines can only go so far in the short term, Ford's turning its attention to weight reduction. We're not talking Slim Fast here, either.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has been one of the largest domestic champions of hybrid and electric vehicle technology in the past three years. Its Escape small SUV hybrid and Fusion passenger car hybrid are excellent sellers. What Ford hasn't publicly talked about is how the eventual transition to partial or full electric personal propulsion will affect the supply and demand of electric energy in the U.S.

In other words, the U.S. could not just transition from gas-powered vehicles to hundreds of thousands (or millions) of hybrid or full-electric vehicles in just a decade or so and not expect the electrical grid to be as happy as a clam. Power is cheaper to supply at night and the way we actually use electricity (washing dishes at night, as well as clothes, for example) has a huge impact on cost and other factors. Ford wants to make sure its hybrid and electric customers know this.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is the only U.S. car company left standing that hasn't succumbed to government aid or taken a path through bankruptcy. But, in a way, it has found a little help from the U.S. government recently, as it posted the first monthly sales gain since 2007 on the back of the "Cash for Clunkers" trade-in program that worked so well, the initial billion dollars for the program is already exhausted.

It took about a week for consumers to plow through rebates up to $4,500 from the government and to swipe almost the entire $1 billion from the program. There was so much demand that the program was feverishly being planned to be extended with new government money. Ford alone saw a 2.4% increase over last year. $2 billion more was approved for the program by Congress, so will Ford continue to see gains with the new money? August could end up being larger than July, yes?

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), after reporting a profit on the back of debt reductions and aggressive cost cutting, (it's still losing money manufacturing vehicles), does have many things going its way these days. For one, it's the only domestic automaker left in the U.S. that's solvent; and, without government aid to boot. Another bragging point: the automaker sincerely looks like it is trying to go as green as possible by ramping up fuel efficiency and heavily promoting those vehicles over gas hoggers.

Although Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has fallen on hard times -- like much of the auto industry -- the company will eventually come back around. Its success, like that of competitor General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), will be on its ability to be flexible enough to build the vehicles customers want as needs change.

That's a large order, though. Ford CEO Alan Mulally recently stated that his Way Forward plan was behind schedule, and the automaker wasn't expected to post an annual profit until 2010. Ford knows it needs to be more globally flexible or it won't even make that extended target. Profit centers like SUVs are so 1999.

On top of all that, a Volkswagen (OTC: VLKAY) executive recently said that the German automaker intends to surpass Ford to become the third-largest seller of vehicles in the world. That's quite a bold prediction and it puts Ford under even more pressure to get automobiles delivered to customers with increasing manufacturing and selling flexibility. As of last year, Volkswagen sold 6.19 million vehicles to Ford's 8.55 million. Is one year enough of a background to declare VW a future winner over Ford? Possibly.

Then again, Japanese automakers Honda Motor Corp. (NYSE: HMC) and Nissan Motor Co. (NASDAQ: NSANY) are not going anywhere and will continue to put up a great fight. Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM) is currently the king of the Japanese automakers, right behind GM globally. If Volkswagen really believes it can charge into the third spot, it better have the global vehicle finesse to know what its regions' customers want before they want it -- and then, make those sales.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is slated to have a conference call regarding its Q2 earnings here in a few minutes. If you're ready to see the full results before the show gets underway, see this. Investors hope the results will show some strength for the world's third largest automaker on sales of its smaller Edge crossover and fleet vehicles. The automaker needs some good news to ensure its "Way Forward" plan under the helm of CEO Alan Mulally is moving forward according to plan. Did it make strides this past quarter?

Ford still posted some huge quarterly losses before it begins to make gains into the land of profitability sometime in 2009, according to Mulally. Until then, the company will continue reorganizing its business and paying huge operating expenses while it sets itself up to be more flexible and in-tune to customer demands that can shift almost immediately based on housing and gas prices. Those never fluctuate, right?

The automaker lost just over $12.5 billion last year and posted a loss of $282 million during Q1 this year, so the bets are on in regards to how large Ford's loss will be this quarter. Estimates range from $0.36 to $0.73, but given the enormous scope of changes in Ford's immediate backyard at the moment, I'm not sure any crystal ball could be an accurate predictor of any upcoming Ford quarters at this point. With that, here we go. Remember to use the "Refresh" key to ensure you see the minute-by-minute updates below. All times are in EST.

The Michigan auto industry has a reason to celebrate again, as Ford (NYSE: F)surpassed rival Toyota (NYSE: TM) recently in the J.D. Power and Associates' annual initial quality rankings for automobiles. In all, Ford grabbed more top individual awards than any other automaker, including Toyota and GM (NYSE: GM) among others. Does this signal something for Ford as CEO Alan Mulally executes on his plan to return the automaker to profitability by 2009?

Ford automobile owners are apparently having a doozy of a time with their new cars -- and they're reporting fewer problems during the initial 90 days or so of Ford ownership. Ford's last top showing in these awards was in 1998, when it tied for the top spot. Now, it has that mark all to itself.

While Toyota continues to sell quite a few cars, SUVs and trucks these days (it's now the largest global seller, ahead of even GM), Ford's customer-reported quality has crept ahead to make it better. With recent releases like the Mercury Milan and the all-new Ford Edge, Ford's product portfolio seems to be hitting on all cylinders here, with the company ranking highest in five of 19 segments in this year's survey. I have to agree with Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari, who indicated that all the new Ford vehicle launches so far this year "speak volumes about what we're doing right." Apparently, customers agree, and it shows in these J.D. Power and Associates rankings.

If you regularly laugh in the face of death, eat nails for breakfast and think that only sissies need a backup parachute, than buying Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) stock is right for you.

While Ford has huge problems and is in debt up to its eyeballs, it's also working just as hard to resolve them under Chief Executive Alan Mullaly through an $11 billion restructuring plan. But what gets lost in the discussion about declining market share, union negotiations and debt is the fact that Ford makes some good cars.

Consumer Reports put the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan on its "Most Impressive" list of cars. The non-profit organization also recommended 54 percent of the Ford cars it rates, more than General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) or DaimlerChrylser AG (NYSE:DCX). Of course, the Japanese cars dominated the rankings.

Ford is certainly not going to dig itself out of a hole anytime soon but neither are its rivals whose shares are doing much better. It's interesting that Ford's stock is down 2 percent over the past year compared with a 60 percent gain in General Motors and a 22 percent increase at Daimler. This pricing doesn't make much sense.

Ford has a lower debt-to-equity ratio than General Motors and unlike GM has a positive return on equity. DaimlerChrysler's ratios aren't available, but its shares have been surging on expectations that it was going to sell Chrysler. Plus, sales in Germany and France, key markets for Daimler, have been slipping recently.

Carl Icahn has made billions betting on companies that are out of favor with the market including our beloved corporate parent Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX). Wilbur Ross has done well with steel and private equity companies are snapping up companies that the market is turning its back on left and right.

People get rich by not following the crowd. They also don't take unnecessary risks. So, before buying a stock like Ford, think about it long and hard. Then think about it again and again. This stock isn't going to make you rich quick, but has the potential to do better than it is today.