Jac Nasser's dynamic 30-month burst at the head of Ford Motor Company has been brought to a halt by non-executive chairman William Clay Ford junior and the board of directors.

The great grandson of the founder has reminded the chief executive he is not ultimately responsible for the future of the company. In future, Mr Ford has told him, the two men will jointly decide policy, strategy, key issues about Ford's long-term direction and major pressing business decisions.

One industry analyst said: “Bill and Jac have behaved like 'Mr Nice' and 'Mr Nasty' but now the chairman wants to be much more involved in the direction of the company. “Jac achieved much through the acquisition of Land Rover, Volvo and Kwik-Fit but has been damaged over the deaths of more than 100 people driving Explorers on Firestone tyres.”

Rumours of a rift at the top of Ford have persisted in Detroit for weeks and Nick Scheele's arrival adds to the intrigue. The former Jaguar boss moves from president of Ford of Europe to responsibility for the North American market – Mr Nasser's old job.