SAN FRANCISCO (AFX) -- Ford Motor Co. President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Padilla is expected to announce plans to retire after 40 years with the automaker, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site late Thursday, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation. He is expected to leave the board as well, according to WSJ.com. Padilla has overseen Ford's struggling North American operations for the last two years. This story was supplied by MarketWatch. For further information see www.marketwatch.com.