Ford began toying with the idea of a domestically produced smaller compact within the mid Sixties. As early as 1967, there had been some consideration of an 85-inch-wheelbase automobile powered by something with less than six cylinders. Iacocca, then executive vice president in charge of Ford's North American Vehicle Operations, argued that between the Volkswagen from Germany and the rising tide of Japanese compacts, these imports would soon seize the whole subcompact market in the United States, and Ford ought to produce a automotive to satisfy these overseas challengers head-on. After the successful launch of the Mustang and an up­swing in gross sales, many felt Iacocca was next in line for the presidency at Ford. However, when Arjay Miller left the publish in late 1967 to grow to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prime Boosts Official Henry Ford II stunned nearly everyone within the industry when he went outdoors the company to General Motors and brought over Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen. This created tension between the Iacocca camp and those who bought into Knudsen's corner.

In late September, news broke that Uber had closed a deal to purchase the historic Sears constructing referred to as Uptown Station in the center of downtown Oakland. Not that Uber was abandoning San Francisco