The return on investment of its automotive division dropped to 1.2 percent in 2004, from 9.4 percent in 2001.
That year, the names of the automotive and aero-engine divisions were changed to Lorraine-Dietrich.
After spearheading the company's successful move into the "classic car" realm, Frank was named publisher of a separate automotive division formed in 1979.
By 1999, the whole Daewoo Group ran into financial trouble, and was forced to sell its automotive division.
The European automotive division has been on the auction block since March.
The automotive division picked up a new way to make headlights when some adhesive researchers displayed a multilayer film.
Ford has told investors to expect at best break-even results for its automotive division.
We were trying to put together the ideal automotive division.
In the latest quarter, Ford's automotive division had a net income of only $16 million, down from $1.12 billion in the period a year earlier.
The turnaround was thanks in part to the increasing success of BMW's automotive division.