DETROIT  After closing the books on a $14.6 billion loss in 2008  the worst annual result in its 105-year history  Ford Motor Company said Thursday that it would draw the last $10.1 billion from its lines of credit to add to its cash hoard so that it could survive the increasingly bleak vehicle market.

Ford’s chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, said the company, which tapped credit markets to build its cash reserves well before the economy soured, remained determined to finance its operations without the federal aid that was extended to its crosstown rivals, General Motors and Chrysler.

“I think there’s more awareness than ever that Ford is on a very different path,” Mr. Mulally said in an interview.

He added that it had become a marketing advantage for Ford with consumers shopping for an American car. “Our dealers have told us that people know that Ford is in a better place,” Mr. Mulally said.