Still, the departure of Martens was surprising, since he worked closely with Fields in the past, when Fields ran Mazda Motor .

FORBES: Ford Loses Two VPs As Shakeup Goes On

Bloomberg is reporting that Ford Motor Co. directors will promote Mark Fields to chief operating officer as early as tomorrow, putting him in line to succeed Alan Mulally as chief executive of the second-largest U.S. automaker.

FORBES: Ford Preparing For Life After Mulally