Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Luxury vehicles Commercial vehicles Automotive parts
Production output	4.4 million vehicles (2023)
Brands	Ford Lincoln Motorcraft
Services	Automotive finance Vehicle leasing Vehicle service
Revenue	US$176.2 billion (2023)
Operating income	US$5.46 billion (2023)
Net income	US$4.33 billion (2023)
Total assets	US$273.3 billion (2023)
Total equity	US$42.80 billion (2023)
Owner	Ford family (2% equity; 40% voting power)
Number of employees	177,000 (2023)
Divisions	Ford Blue Ford Model E Ford Pro
Subsidiaries	List International Ford Argentina Ford Australia Ford Brazil Ford Canada Ford Europe Britain France Germany Ireland Italy Otosan (41%) Romania Spain TrustFord Ford India Ford New Zealand Ford Philippines Ford Southern Africa Ford Vietnam (75%) Ford Lio Ho (70%) AutoAlliance Thailand (50%) Changan Ford (35%) Jiangling Motors (32%) Finance Ford Credit Other BlueOval SK Ford Drive Ford Next Ford Performance Latitude AI
Website	ford.com
Footnotes / references [2][3][4][5][6]

Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American

Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines; by 1914, these methods were known around the world as Fordism. Ford's former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000, respectively, were sold to the Indian automaker Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010.^[9] In the third quarter of 2010, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed upscale cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938.^[10]

Ford is the second-largest U.S.-based automaker (behind

and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants and facilities worldwide.

History

20th century

The

).

Henry Ford was 39 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company, which would go on to become one of the world's largest and most profitable companies. It has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world.^[citation needed]

The first gasoline-powered

]

Model T (introduced in 1908), photographed in Salt Lake City

Between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models

]

In an attempt to compete with General Motors' mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick, Ford created the Mercury in 1939 as a higher-priced companion car to Ford. Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobile market.^[citation needed]

In 1929, Ford was contracted by the government of the

During

.

The creation of a scientific laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1951, doing unfettered basic research, led to Ford's involvement in superconductivity research. In 1964, Ford Research Labs made a key breakthrough with the invention of a superconducting quantum interference device or SQUID.^[23]

Ford offered the Lifeguard safety package from 1956, which included such innovations as a standard deep-dish steering wheel, optional front, and, for the first time in a car, rear seatbelts, and an optional padded dash.^[24] Ford introduced child-proof door locks into its products in 1957, and, in the same year, offered the first retractable hardtop on a mass-produced six-seater car.^[25]

In late 1955, Ford established the Continental division as a separate luxury car division. This division was responsible for the manufacture and sale of the famous Continental Mark II. At the same time, the Edsel division was created to design and market that car starting with the 1958 model year. Due to limited sales of the Continental and the Edsel disaster, Ford merged Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln into "M-E-L," which reverted to "Lincoln-Mercury" after Edsel's November 1959 demise.^[25]

The Ford Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964, during the 1964 New York World's Fair (where Ford had a pavilion made by The Walt Disney Company).^[26][27] In 1965, Ford introduced the seat belt reminder light.^{[citation needed]}

With the 1980s, Ford introduced several highly successful vehicles around the world. During the 1980s, Ford began using the advertising slogan, "Have you driven a Ford, lately?" to introduce new customers to their brand and make their vehicles appear more modern. In 1990 and 1994, respectively, Ford also acquired Jaguar Cars and Aston Martin.^[28] During the mid-to-late 1990s, Ford continued to sell large numbers of vehicles, in a booming American economy with a soaring stock market and low fuel prices.^{[citation needed]}

With the dawn of the new century, legacy health care costs, higher fuel prices, and a faltering economy led to falling market shares, declining sales, and diminished profit margins. Most of the corporate profits came from financing consumer automobile loans through Ford Motor Credit Company.^[29]

21st century

By 2005, both Ford and

Ford moved to introduce a range of new vehicles, including "

executive chairman

at the board of Ford Motor Company.

William Clay Ford Jr., great-grandson of Henry Ford (and better known by his nickname "Bill"), was appointed executive chairman in 1998, and also became chief executive officer of the company in 2001, with the departure of Jacques Nasser, becoming the first member of the Ford family to head the company since the retirement of his uncle, Henry Ford II, in 1982. Ford sold motorsport engineering company Cosworth to Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven in 2004, the start of a decrease in Ford's motorsport involvement. Upon the retirement of president and chief operations officer Jim Padilla in April 2006, Bill Ford assumed his roles as well. Five months later, in September, Ford named Alan Mulally as president and CEO, with Ford continuing as executive chairman.

In December 2006, the company raised its borrowing capacity to about $25 billion, placing substantially all corporate assets as collateral.

(VEBA) trust to shift the burden of retiree health care from the company's books, thereby improving its balance sheet. This arrangement took effect on January 1, 2010. As a sign of its currently strong cash position, Ford contributed its entire current liability (estimated at US$5.5 billion as of December 31, 2009) to the VEBA in cash, and also pre-paid US$500 million of its future liabilities to the fund. The agreement also gave hourly workers the job security they were seeking by having the company commit to substantial investments in most of its factories.

The automaker reported the largest annual loss in company history in 2006 of $12.7 billion,^[39] and estimated that it would not return to profitability until 2009.^[40] However, Ford surprised Wall Street in the second quarter of 2007 by posting a $750 million profit. Despite the gains, the company finished the year with a $2.7 billion loss, largely attributed to finance restructuring at Volvo.^[41] On June 2, 2008, Ford sold its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion.^[42][43]

During congressional hearings held in November 2008 at Washington D.C., Ford's Alan Mulally stated that "We at Ford are hopeful that we have enough liquidity. But we also must prepare ourselves for the prospect of further deteriorating economic conditions". He went on to state that "The collapse of one of our competitors would have a severe impact on Ford" and that Ford Motor Company supported both Chrysler and General Motors in their search for government bridge loans in the face of conditions caused by the

On December 19, the cost of

On October 29, 2012, Ford announced the sale of its climate control components business, its last remaining automotive components operation, to Detroit Thermal Systems LLC for an undisclosed price.

In April 2016, Ford announced a plan to modernize its Dearborn engineering and headquarters campuses through a ten-year building project. The result would see the number of Ford employees working in these areas doubling, to 24,000. During construction, some 2000 of the employees were relocated out of the campus to a temporary location in a disused section of the local shopping mall.[55] Facilities would also be altered to allow ride-sharing and electric and self-driving vehicles.^[56] Estimates of the construction cost were $1.2 billion.^[57]

On January 3, 2017, Ford

Also in 2017, Ford began development of a new mixed-use urban campus in

In May 2017, Ford announced cuts to its global workforce amid efforts to address the company's declining share price and to improve profits. The company is targeting $3 billion in cost reduction and a nearly 10% reduction in the salaried workforce in Asia and North America to enhance earnings in 2018.[64]^[65] Jim Hackett was announced to replace Mark Fields as CEO of Ford Motor. Mr. Hackett most recently oversaw the formation of Ford Smart Mobility, a unit responsible for experimenting with car-sharing programs, self-driving ventures and other programs aimed at helping Ford better compete with Uber, Alphabet Inc. and other tech giants looking to edge in on the auto industry.^[66][67]

On April 25, 2018, Ford announced that it would discontinue passenger cars in the North American market in the next four years, except for the Mustang, due to declining demand and profitability.^[68] The Focus Active, a crossover SUV based on the newly unveiled fourth-generation Focus, was also intended to be marketed in the United States. Due to the vehicle being manufactured in China, Ford later announced that it would not release the Focus Active in the United States, due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese exports.^[69][70]

In March 2020, the Detroit United Auto Workers union announced that after discussion with the leaders of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the carmakers would partially shut down factories on a "rotating" basis to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.^[71] On March 24, representatives of Ford announced that production in the US, Canada, and Mexico would not resume on March 30 as originally planned, amid the further coronavirus pandemic spread.^[72] In the first quarter of 2020, Ford's sales dropped by 15%, entailing the loss of $2 billion.^[73]

With the change in the demand for the sport vehicles, on January 6, 2021, Ford reported a sales fall of 9.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 542,749 vehicles, compared to 601,862 in 2019.^[74] In April 2021, Ford said that it would provide COVID-19 vaccines for its employees, who were to obtain them at the company; at the beginning the vaccination program would be in southeast Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, but it was to be expanded later on to other locations.^[75]

In March 2022, Ford announced that it would restructure the company into three separate divisions. Ford Model E is to focus on electric vehicles; Ford Blue is to focus on internal combustion vehicles; and the existing commercial division is to be rebranded as Ford Pro, to focus on vehicle distribution and service.^[76][6] In August 2022, Ford announced it planned layoffs of roughly 3,000 employees and contract workers, confirming earlier reporting. The cuts would mostly affect divisions in the US, Canada, and India, which Jim Farley said would allow the company to prepare for the future of electric, software-heavy vehicles.^[77][78]

In February 2023, Ford announced that it was going to cut 3,800 jobs across Europe, with the job cuts mainly focusing on their German and British workforce. Ford will be cutting 2,300 jobs from Germany, 1,300 from the United Kingdom, and an additional 200 jobs in the rest of Europe, according to the head of Ford Germany, Martin Sander. The cuts will mainly be done to the company's engineers.^[79] Ford also announced during the year that their electric vehicle business had lost $3 billion before taxes over the past two years and will lose a similar amount in 2023 as the company looks to significantly invest in Electric Technology. The Ford Model E is expected to be profitable by 2026.^[80]

In April 2023, United Kingdom ministers approved Ford's BlueCruise technology. Because of this assisted driving technology, Ford drivers can now legally take their hands off the wheel on certain roads. Its top speed is 129 km/h (80 mph). BlueCruise uses sensors and cameras to regulate the car's speed and to keep track of speed limits and road signs. It also monitors and keeps a safe distance from other vehicles. It also comes equipped with an eye-tracking system. If the driver stops looking at the road then the car will gradually reduce its speed. This technology will initially be offered in Ford's 2023 model of the electric Mustang Mach-E SUV. According to Thatcham Research, an automotive research company, this model is not a self-driving car. It is classified as a level 2 or partial automation assistance system. This means that technology controls two or more driving aspects but still requires human driver control in cases of emergencies. The driver is still legally responsible for accidents.^[81]

Logo history

Corporate affairs

Executive management

Members of the Ford board as of March 2023^[update] are:

Jim Farley succeeded Jim Hackett as the chief executive officer of the company in August 2020; he previously served as Ford's chief operating officer. Hackett stayed in the company as an advisor until the second quarter of 2021.^[83]

Ownership

Ford is mainly owned by institutional investors, who own around 60% of shares. The largest shareholders in December 2023 were:^[84]

• The Vanguard Group (8.71%)
• BlackRock (7.20%)
• State Street Corporation (4.46%)
• Newport Trust (3.98%)
• Charles Schwab Corporation (2.25%)
• Geode Capital Management (1.94%)
• Fisher Investments (1.52%)
• Morgan Stanley (1.31%)
• Norges Bank (1.00%)
• Northern Trust (0.94%)

Ford Motor Company Fund

The Ford Motor Company Fund (also known as Ford Fund, not affiliated with the Ford Foundation), based in Dearborn, Michigan, is the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company.^[85] Established in 1949^[86] by Henry Ford II,^{[citation needed]} Ford Fund is a nonprofit corporate foundation^[87] financed by contributions from Ford Motor Company. In 2017, Ford Fund contributed $63 million^[88] to various causes^[85] with a focus on education, driving safely and community building.

The Ford Driving Skills for Life program is a driver safety program aimed at teens that were developed together with the Governors Highway Safety Association and safety experts.^[89] The Ford Volunteer Corps allows Ford employees and retirees to sign up for volunteering work on local projects in more than 40 countries.^[90] The Ford Fund invests $18 million annually in education in the United States and around the world, but accepts applications only from nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S.^[91] Education programs and scholarships include Alan Mulally Engineering Scholarship, Ford Blue Oval Scholars Program, Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3), Ford Driving Dreams Tour, Ford Fund/Detroit Free Press Journalism Scholarship, Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL), Grants to Individuals Program, HBCU Community Challenge, Smithsonian Latino Center Young Ambassadors Program, and William Clay Ford Automotive Design Scholarship.

Operations

Sales by region (2023)^[92]

Region	share
United States	66.4%
Canada	7.6%
United Kingdom	5.1%
Mexico	1.6%
Other countries	19.6%

Ford has had manufacturing operations worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and South Africa. Ford also helped the Soviet Union to construct Russian automaker GAZ.

North America

In May 2010, Ford reported that its sales increased 23% for the month, and that 37% of its sales came from fleet sales.^[93] In June 2010, sales to individual customers at dealerships increased 13% while fleet sales rose by 32%.^[94] In the first seven months of 2010, fleet sales of Ford for the same period rose 35% to 386,000 units while retail sales increase 19%.^[95] Fleet sales account for 39 percent of Chrysler's sales and 31 percent for GM's.^[95]

Europe

At first,

replaced the Taunus and Cortina in 1982, drawing criticism for its radical aerodynamic styling, which was soon given nicknames, the "Jellymould" and "The Salesman's Spaceship".

In February 2002, Ford ended car production in the UK. It was the first time in 90 years that Ford cars had not been made in Britain, although production of the

(Romania).

Ford also owns a joint-venture production plant in Turkey.

in 2002, and its opening marked the end of Transit assembly in Genk.

Another joint venture plant near Setúbal in Portugal, set up in collaboration with Volkswagen, formerly assembled the Galaxy people-carrier as well as its sister ships, the VW Sharan and SEAT Alhambra. With the introduction of the third generation of the Galaxy, Ford has moved the production of the people-carrier to the Genk plant, with Volkswagen taking over sole ownership of the Setúbal facility.

In 2008, Ford acquired a majority stake in

Its 1959 Anglia two-door saloon was one of the most quirky-looking small family cars in Europe at the time of its launch, but buyers soon became accustomed to its looks and it was hugely popular with British buyers in particular. It was still selling well when replaced by the more practical Escort in 1967.

The third incarnation of the Ford Escort was launched in 1980 and marked the company's move from rear-wheel-drive saloons to front-wheel-drive hatchbacks in the small family car sector.

The fourth-generation Escort was produced from 1990 until 2000, although its successor—the

—had been on sale since 1998. On its launch, the Focus was arguably the most dramatic-looking and fine-handling small family cars on sale and sold in huge volumes right up to the launch of the next-generation Focus at the end of 2004.

The 1982 Ford Sierra—replacement for the long-running and massively popular Cortina and Taunus models—was a style-setter at the time of its launch. Its ultramodern aerodynamic design was a world away from a boxy, sharp-edged Cortina, and it was massively popular just about everywhere it was sold. A series of updates kept it looking relatively fresh until it was replaced by the front-wheel-drive Mondeo at the start of 1993.

The rise in popularity of small cars during the 1970s saw Ford enter the mini-car market in 1976 with its

in Spain, and the Fiesta sold in huge figures from the very start. An update in 1983 and the launch of an all-new model in 1989 strengthened its position in the small car market.

On October 24, 2012, Ford announced that it would close its Genk assembly plant in eastern Belgium by the end of 2014.^[102]

In 2015, Ford announced that it took control of Ford Sollers, Ford's joint venture with Russian company Sollers.^[103][104]

In September 2018, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany, Ford introduced an electric tractor-trailer concept vehicle dubbed the F-Vision, which would have Level 4 autonomous driving capability.^[105]

On March 1, 2022, Ford announced that it was suspending its

East and Southeast Asia

Ford formed its first passenger-vehicle joint venture in China in 2001, six years behind GM and more than a decade after VW. It has spent as of 2013[update] $4.9 billion to expand its lineup and double production capacity in China to 600,000 vehicles. This includes Ford's largest-ever factory complex in the southwestern city of Chongqing. Ford had 2.5% of the Chinese market in 2013, while VW controlled 14.5% and GM had 15.6%, according to consultant LMC Automotive. GM outsells Ford in China by more than six-to-one.

which is now a national monument in Singapore. On April 30, 2013, Ford Motor Co. launched their car and pickup truck line in Myanmar. Previously, heavy importation taxes had stifled imported car purchases in Myanmar, but due to currency reform, lifting of previous import restrictions, and the abolishment of shadow currency, Myanmar's car market had grown in demand.^[112]

South Korea

In 1967, Ford partnered with the South Korean company

Hyundai Motor Company owns less than 50% of the company but remains Kia's largest stakeholder.

As of 2020[update], Ford sells the Explorer, Mondeo, and Mustang,^[115] as well as the Lincoln Aviator, Continental, Corsair, MKZ, and Nautilus in South Korea.^[116]

South and West Asia

in 2001. It has since added the Fusion, Fiesta, Mondeo and Endeavour models to its product line.

On March 9, 2010, Ford launched its first made-for-India compact car. Starting at ₹349,900, the Figo was Ford's first car designed and priced for the mass Indian market.^[117] On July 28, 2011, Ford India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State of Gujarat for the construction of an assembly and engine plant in Sanand and planned to invest approximately US$1 billion on a 460-acre site.^[118] In 2019, the company and Mahindra & Mahindra formed a joint venture to develop, market and distribute Ford-branded vehicles in India.^[119] In September 2021 Ford India announced plans to shut down both its assembly plants. The company said that it intends to maintain its parts and service network.^[120]

Ford's market presence in the Middle East has traditionally been small, partly due to previous Arab boycotts of companies dealing with Israel. Ford and Lincoln vehicles are currently marketed in ten countries in the region.^[121] Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates are the biggest markets. Ford also established itself in Egypt in 1926 but faced an uphill battle during the 1950s due to the hostile nationalist business environment.^[122] Ford's distributor in Saudi Arabia announced in February 2003 that it had sold 100,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles since commencing sales in November 1986. Half of the Ford and Lincoln vehicles sold in that country were Ford Crown Victorias.^[123] In 2004, Ford sold 30,000 units in the region, falling far short of General Motors' 88,852 units and Nissan Motors' 75,000 units.

South America

In South America, Ford's primary operations are in

In early 2021, Ford's Brazil branch announced it would completely cease production in the country over the course of a few months.[127]

Africa

In Africa, Ford's market presence has traditionally been strongest in South Africa and neighbouring countries, with only trucks being sold elsewhere on the continent. Ford in South Africa began by importing kits from Canada to be assembled at its facility in

Following international condemnation of apartheid, Ford divested from South Africa in 1988, and sold its stake in Samcor, although it licensed the use of its brand name to the company.^[129] Samcor began to assemble Mazdas as well, which affected its product line-up and saw the European Fords like the Escort and Sierra replaced by the Mazda-based Laser^[130] and Telstar.^[131] Ford bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor following the demise of apartheid in 1994, and this later became, once again, a wholly owned subsidiary, the Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. Ford now sells a local sedan version of the Fiesta (also built in India and Mexico), and the Focus. The Falcon model from Australia was also sold in South Africa, but was dropped in 2003; the Mondeo, after briefly being assembled locally, was dropped in 2005. The Mondeo was later reintroduced in 2015, badged as the Fusion, but was dropped in 2017.^[132]

Research

Ford Research and Innovation Center is the name of the technology research facilities of Ford Motor Company in

• Dearborn, Michigan
• Palo Alto, California
• Aachen, Germany
• Nanjing, China

The Ford Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto was first opened in 2012, and in January 2015, announced plans to significantly expand its operations.^{[133][134][135][136]}

Former operations

East and Southeast Asia

Ford decided to shut down their entire operations in Indonesia, including their dealer network by second half of 2016.^[137][138]

Ford of Japan

Ford established a manufacturing facility in the port city of Yokohama in February 1925, where Model T vehicles were assembled using imported knock-down kits.^[139] The factory subsequently produced 10,000 Model A's up to 1936. Production ceased in 1940 as a result of political tensions between Japan and the United States.

After World War II, Ford did not have a presence in Japan, as the Ford facility was appropriated by the Japanese Government until 1958 when property was returned as a possession of the Ford Motor Company and became a research and development location for Ford partner Mazda. In 1979, Ford acquired a 24.5% ownership stake in Mazda, and in 1982, Ford and Mazda jointly established a sales channel to sell Ford products in Japan, including vehicles manufactured in North America, at a dealership called Autorama (Japanese). The Autorama sales channel was renamed Ford Sales of Japan in 1997.^[140]

Vehicles sold at Autorama locations were the North American assembled Ford Explorer, Probe (1989–1998), Mustang, Taurus (1989–1997), Thunderbird (1990–1993), Lincoln Continental, and Lincoln LS. Ford products manufactured in Europe that were sold in Japan were the

(Mazda Bongo), and commercial trucks J80 and the J100 (Mazda Bongo truck).

Ford increased its shareholding in Mazda to 33.4% in 1996, but as of July 2016^[update], it is listed at 11%.

Oceania

In Australia and New Zealand, the popular Ford Falcon (1960–2016) had long been considered the average family car and is considerably larger than the Mondeo, Ford's largest car sold in Europe. Between 1960 and 1972, the Falcon was based on a U.S. model of the same name, but since then has been entirely designed and manufactured in Australia until 2016, occasionally being manufactured in New Zealand. Like its General Motors rival, the Holden Commodore, the Falcon used a rear-wheel-drive layout. High-performance variants of the Falcon running locally built engines produce up to 362 hp (270 kW). A ute (short for "utility", known in the U.S. as pickup truck) version is also available with the same range of drivetrains. In addition, Ford Australia sold highly tuned limited-production Falcon sedans and utes through its performance car division, Ford Performance Vehicles until it closed in 2014.

In Australia, the Commodore and Falcon had traditionally outsold all other cars and constituted over 20% of the new car market. In New Zealand, Ford was second in market share in the first eight months of 2006 with 14.4%.^[144] More recently, Ford has axed its Falcon-based LWB variant of its lineup– the Fairlane and LTD ranges. Ford discontinued the Fairlane in 2007 and LTD in 2008. Ford had announced that their Geelong engine manufacturing plant would be shut down between 2013 and 2016. They had earlier announced local manufacturing of the Focus small car starting from 2011, but instead decided to import the model from Ford's plant in Thailand.^[145]

In Australia, the Laser was one of

In New Zealand, the

The scheduled closure of Ford's Australian manufacturing base in 2016 was confirmed on May 23, 2013. Headquartered in the Victorian suburb of Broadmeadows, the company had registered losses worth AU$600 million over the five years prior to the announcement. It was noted that the corporate fleet and government sales that account for two-thirds of large, local car sales in Australia are insufficient to keep Ford's products profitable and viable in Australia. The decision will affect 1200 Ford workers—over 600 employees in Geelong and more than 500 in Broadmeadows—who will lose their jobs by October 2016. The closure of Ford's plants in Norlane Geelong and Broadmeadows Melbourne occurred on October 7, 2016.[150]

Products and services

Automobiles

Ford Motor Company sells a broad range of automobiles under the Ford

brand was introduced in the United States to market products produced by Ford of Europe; it was discontinued in 1989.

Ford acquired the British sports car maker

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group

in 2010.

In November 2008, it reduced its 33.4%

Ford sold the United Kingdom-based Jaguar and Land Rover companies and brands to Tata Motors of India in March 2008.

On April 25, 2018, Ford announced that it planned to phase out all but one of its North American automobile models (the Mustang will be the sole surviving model) to focus primarily on pickup trucks and SUVs. Ford had also planned to introduce an "Active" crossover version of the next-generation Focus, but canceled those plans due to tariff issues between the United States and China.^[159]

Trucks

Ford has produced trucks since 1908, beginning with the Ford Model TT, followed by the Model AA, and the Model BB. Countries where Ford commercial vehicles are or were formerly produced include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada (also badged as Mercury), France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Philippines, Spain (badged Ebro too), Turkey, UK (badged also Fordson and Thames), and the United States.

From the 1940s to the late 1970s, Ford's Ford F-Series was used as the base for light trucks for the North American market.

Most of these ventures are now extinct. The European one that lasted longest was the lorries arm of Ford of Britain, which became part of the Iveco group in 1986. Ford had a minority share in the new company and Iveco took over sales and production of the Ford Cargo range.^[160] Ford's last significant European truck models were the Transcontinental and the Cargo. At the end of 1996, Ford sold the rights to its heavy trucks division to the Freightliner Trucks division of Daimler AG, with Ford producing the Cargo, Louisville, and Aeromax, through the 1998 model year. During the 1998 model year, Freightliner began production of its own versions of Ford-developed trucks in St. Thomas, Ontario, launching the Sterling truck brand.^[161][162] Slotted between Freightliner and Western Star, Sterling trucks were produced through 2009.

Line of heavy trucks made by Ford for the North American market:

• Ford F-Series
  • "Big Job" (1951–1957)
  • "Super Duty/Extra Heavy Duty (1958–1962)
• Ford N-Series (1963–1969)
• Ford L-Series trucks
  (1970–1998)
  • aka Ford "Louisville Line"
  • Ford Aeromax (1988–1998)
  • Ford Louisville (1996–1998)
  • Sterling (1998–2009)
• Ford C-Series
  (1957–1990)
• Ford Cargo/CF-Series (1986–1997)
• Ford H-Series (1961–1966)
  • aka "Two-story Falcon"
• Ford W-Series (1966–1977)
• Ford CL-Series (1978–1995)

For 1999, Ford briefly withdrew from production of medium-duty trucks. For the 2001 model year, the company entered into a joint venture with

In Europe, Ford manufactures the Ford Transit jumbo van, which is classed as a Large Goods Vehicle and has a payload of up to 2,265 kg; there are options of a panel van, pickup or chassis cab. The Ford Transit is also available as a light van called the Ford Transit Connect and the Ford Ranger pickup is available.^[166]

Buses

Ford manufactured complete buses in the company's early history, but today the role of the company has changed to that of a

, but Ford lost its market share due to industry contraction and agreements between body manufacturers. Older bus models included:

Prior to 1936, Ford buses were based on truck bodies:

• Model B – 1930s
• Model T – 1920s
• F-105 school bus

In 1936, Ford introduced the Ford Transit Bus, a series of small transit buses with bodies built by a second party. Originally a front-engine design, it was modified to a rear-engine design in 1939. About 1,000 to 1,200 of the original design were built, and around 12,500 of the rear-engine design, which was in production until 1947^[167] (rebranded as the Universal Bus in 1946).

Rear-engine Transit Bus chassis model numbers:^[168]

• 09-B/19-B City transit bus – 1939–1941
• 19-B/29-B City transit bus – 1941–1942
• 49-B/79-B City transit bus – 1944–1947
• 69-B City transit bus – 1946–1947
• 29-B City transit bus – 1946–1947
• 72-T transit bus – 1944–1945

After 1946 the Transit City bus was sold as the Universal Bus with the roof changed from fabric/wood to all-metal:

• 79-B Universal transit bus – 1946–1947

Succeeding the Ford Transit Bus was the Ford 8M buses:

• 8MB transit bus – with Wayne Works 1948–?

Following World War II and from the 1950s onwards, Ford lost out to General Motors.^[168] This led to the end of transit buses for Ford in North America.

• B500 or B-series
  – 1950–1990s based on Ford F-series truck chassis used by school bus body manufacturers

In Europe, Ford manufactures the Ford Transit Minibus which is classed in Europe as a Passenger Carrying Vehicle and there are options of 12-, 15-, or 17-seaters.^[169] In the past, European models included:

• EM
• N-138
• D series buses (Australia)

Tractors

The "Henry Ford and Son Company" began making

beginning in 1924.

Ford reentered the tractor market in 1939 with the Ford N-series tractors. The Ford 8N, introduced in 1947, became the most popular tractor of all time in North America. Production of the N line of models ended in 1952.

The Ford NAA tractor was introduced as an entirely new model in 1953. It was a replacement for the Ford N-Series tractors. Larger than the 8N, with a four-cylinder engine, and streamlined styling.

In 1986, Ford expanded its tractor business when it purchased the Sperry-New Holland skid-steer loader and hay baler, hay tools and implement company from

.

Financial services

Ford offers automotive finance through Ford Motor Credit Company.

Automotive components

Ford's FoMoCo parts division sells aftermarket parts under the Motorcraft brand name. It has spun off its parts division under the name Visteon.^{[citation needed]}

FordWorks Program

Ford Motor Company created the FordWorks program in 2016^[170][171] with the aim to bring people with disabilities back into the workforce.^[172] It was the first automotive program to focus on bringing people with autism in the workforce in the US. They targeted people with autism^[170][171] but have expanded their criteria to people with other disabilities.^[172] Ford has partnered with Upbound to broaden their hiring under the FordWorks program.^[172]

Marques

Current marques

Origin	Marque	Estab.	Added	Markets
US	Ford	1903	1903	Global
US	Lincoln	1917	1922	North America, Middle East, China, South Korea

Former marques

Origin	Marque	Years	Markets	Fate
US	Continental[173][174]	1956–1986	North America	Discontinued
US	Edsel	1957–1960	North America	Discontinued
US	Fordson	1917–1964	North America, Ireland, U.K.	Discontinued
US	Mercury	1939–2011	North America, Middle East	Discontinued
US	Merkur	1985–1989	North America	Discontinued
AUS	FPV	2002–2014	Australia	Discontinued
BRA	Troller	2007–2021	Brazil	Defunct company, plant closed by Ford Brasil
JPN	Mazda	1974–2015	Global	Sold shares
SWE	Volvo	1999–2010	Global	Sold to Geely
UK	Aston Martin	1989–2007	Global	Sold to a private consortium
UK	Jaguar	1989–2008	Global	Sold to Tata Motors
UK	Land Rover	2000–2008	Global	Sold to Tata Motors
ITA	De Tomaso	1971–1974	Global	Sold to Alejandro de Tomaso
ITA	Moto Guzzi	1973–1974	Global	Sold to Alejandro de Tomaso
ITA	Benelli	1972–1974	Global	Sold to Alejandro de Tomaso
CAN	Meteor	1949–1976	Canada	Discontinued
CAN	Monarch	1946–1961	Canada	Discontinued
CAN	Frontenac	1960	Canada	Discontinued

Motorsport

FIA World Championships

Along with

.

Open-wheel racing

IndyCar

Formula Ford

Formula Ford, conceived in the UK in 1966, is an entry-level type of formula racing with wingless single-seater cars. Many of today's formula racing drivers started their car racing careers in this category.

Formula One

Ford was heavily involved in

Ford has announced that it will return to Formula One in 2026 following a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, supplying power units to Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri.^[184]

Stock car racing

Ford is one of three manufacturers in

.

Rally

Ford Focus RS WRC 09

in 2010

Ford has a long history in

In March 1951, the Henri Loos and Henri Berney broke the cross-Africa record of the Algiers-Cape Town Rally with a 1950 Ford V8, from Cape Town to Paris.^{[188][189][190]}

Rallycross

Ford has competed in rallycross with its

.

Sports cars

Ford sports cars have been visible in the world of sports car racing since 1964. Most notably the Ford GT40 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times (in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969) and is the only American car to ever win overall at this prestigious event. Ford also won four titles at the World Sportscar Championship with the GT40. Swiss team Matech GT Racing, in collaboration with Ford Racing, opened a new chapter with the Ford GT, winning the Teams title in the 2008 FIA GT3 European Championship.

Ford Mustang

Koni Challenge

in 2005

The

Series and HyperSport drivers Joe Foster and Steve Maxwell won the drivers title in a Mustang GT.

Ford and

Touring cars

V8 Supercar

at Eastern Creek in Australia in 2008

Ford has campaigned touring cars such as the

.

Drag racing

In drag racing, John Force Racing drivers John Force, Tony Pedregon, and Robert Hight have piloted Ford Mustang Funny Cars to several NHRA titles in recent seasons. Teammates Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca III also drive Mustangs in Funny Car.

Drifting

Ford has branched out into

, (A.K.A. "JR") that produces 750 RWHP (Rear Wheel Horsepower).

Environmental initiatives

Compressed natural gas

The

—or CNG. Some CNG vehicles have dual fuel tanks—one for gasoline, the other for CNG—the same engine can operate on either fuel via a selector switch.

Flexible fuel vehicles

flexible fuel vehicle

commercially available in the European market.

.

Electric drive vehicles

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: this section did not include newer electric and hybrid models. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2021)

Hybrid electric vehicles

Kansas City Assembly plant in Claycomo

, Missouri, on March 20, 2007, touting Ford's new hybrid cars

In 2004, Ford and Toyota agreed a patent-sharing accord that granted Ford access to certain hybrid technology patented by Toyota; in exchange, Ford licensed some of its own patents to Toyota.

will also receive a hybrid-electric powertrain option, along with many other vehicles in the Ford vehicle line.

In 2005, Ford announced a goal to make 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010, but by mid-2006 announced that it would not meet that goal, due to excessively high costs and the lack of sufficient supplies of the hybrid-electric batteries and drivetrain system components.[197] Instead, Ford has committed to accelerating development of next-generation hybrid-electric power plants in Britain, in collaboration with Volvo. This engineering study is expected to yield more than 100 new hybrid-electric vehicle models and derivatives.

In September 2007, Ford announced a partnership with

On June 12, 2008,

As of November 2014[update], Ford has produced for retail sales the following hybrid electric vehicles:

Plug-in electric vehicles

As of April 2024^[update], Ford currently produces the following

.

Bill Ford was one of the first top industry executives to make regular use of a battery electric vehicle, a Ford Ranger EV, while the company contracted with the United States Postal Service to deliver electric postal vans based on the Ranger EV platform. Ford discontinued a line of electric Ranger pickup trucks and ordered them destroyed, though it reversed in January 2005, after environmentalist protest.^[207] The all-electric pickup truck leased 205 units to individuals and 1,500 units to fleets in the U.S. from 1998 to 2002.^[208][209]

From 2009 to 2011, Ford offered the

In 2017, Ford CEO Mark Fields announced that the company would invest $4.5 billion in further development of plug-in electric vehicles by 2020.[211]

The 2010–2012 Azure Transit Connect Electric is an all-electric van that was developed as a collaboration between Azure Dynamics and Ford Motor Company, but Azure was the official manufacturer of record.^[212]

Ford C-Max Energi

.

The 2011–2018

The 2012–2017

In October 2017, Ford announced its Team Edison battery electric vehicle group to lead the company's renewed efforts into the EV market, which had plans for a small 300-mile range SUV by 2020.[218] The new team will be headquartered in Detroit and have offices in Europe and Asia.^[219]

On November 17, 2019, the Mustang Mach-E was introduced which later went on sale December 2020 as a 2021 model.^[220][221] The Mustang Mach-E is assembled at Cuautitlán Assembly in Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico.^[222] According to former Ford CEO Jim Hackett, assembling the vehicle in Mexico allows Ford to make a profit from the first vehicle, unlike other electric vehicles. In June 2022, the CFO of Ford announced that the Mustang Mach-E was no longer profitable due to increases in the cost of raw materials.^[223]

On May 19, 2021, Ford revealed a new electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning.^[224] The first F-150 Lightning was manufactured on April 18, 2022, with first delivery in the US on May 26.^[225] Ford adjusted its 2024 production plans for the F-150 Lightning, cutting them in half from an anticipated 3,200 weekly units to around 1,600 weekly units due to sales below expectations.^[226] In 2022, Ford began manufacturing its E-Transit electric cargo vans at its plant in Kansas City, Missouri.^[227]

As the result of 2019 Ford-VW global alliance cooperation agreement,^[228] Ford began developing electric vehicles for the European market using the Volkswagen Group MEB platform along with batteries supplied by Volkswagen. The first Ford product based on the MEB is the Ford Explorer EV, which was introduced in March 2023. It is produced in the Cologne plant in Germany, which previously manufactured the Fiesta small car.^[229] In August 2023, Ford delayed the Explorer EV deliveries to 2024 due to new battery regulations.^[230]

In March 2022, Ford increased its focus in battery electric vehicles by establishing Ford Model E, a division for Ford's electric vehicle business. Ford Model E is expected to be profitable by 2026, and the company said the division "should be seen as a startup".^[76][6][80] In June 2022, Ford announced its intention to restructure its dealership model, including building an e-commerce platform where customers can buy electric vehicles at non-negotiable prices in an effort to match Tesla"s profit margins.^[231] Ford also stated in June 2022 that it planned to spend $3.7 billion to hire 6,200 union workers to staff several assembly plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri in a bid to sell 2 million electric vehicles annually by 2026.^[231]

In May 2023, Ford announced its plans to integrate the

Hydrogen

Ford also continues to study

noise health effects

.

Ford has launched the production of

to expand efforts to determine the feasibility of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The fuel cell Explorer is one of several vehicles with green technology being featured at the L.A. show, including the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, PZEV emissions compliant Fusion and Focus models and a 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty outfitted with Ford's clean diesel technology.

Increased fuel efficiency

In July 2008, Ford Motor Company announced that it would accelerate its plans to produce more fuel-efficient cars, changing both its North American manufacturing plans and its lineup of vehicles available in the United States. In terms of North American manufacturing, the company planned to convert three existing pickup truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) plants for small car production, with the first conversion at its Michigan Truck Plant. In addition, Ford's assembly plants near Mexico City, Mexico, and in Louisville, Kentucky, were to be converted from pickups and SUVs to small cars, including the Ford Fiesta, by 2011. Ford then also planned to introduce to North America six of its European small vehicles, including two versions of the Ford Fiesta, by the end of 2012.^[234]

Ford of Europe developed the

Ford has challenged University teams to create a vehicle that is simple, durable, lightweight, and comes equipped with a base target price of only $7,000. The students from

In 2000, under the leadership of the current Ford chairman, William Clay Ford, the company announced[240] a planned 25 percent improvement in the average mileage of its SUVs—to be completed by the 2005 calendar year. In 2003, Ford announced that competitive market conditions and technological and cost challenges would prevent the company from achieving this goal.^[241]

For the 2007 model year, Ford had thirteen U.S. models that achieve 30 miles per gallon or better (based on the highway fuel economy estimates of the EPA) and several of Ford's vehicles were recognized in the EPA and Department of Energy Fuel Economy Guide for best-in-class fuel economy. Ford claimed to have eliminated nearly three million pounds of smog-forming emissions from their U.S. cars and light trucks over the 2004 to 2006 model years.^[242] However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has linked Ford to 54 Superfund toxic waste sites, twelve of which have been cleaned up and deleted from the list.^[243]

Efficient buildings

Ford River Rouge Complex

.

As part of a renovation of the

In 2016, Ford announced a ten-year renovation plan for its Dearborn campus.[245] The plan features consolidation of office and lab spaces in to fewer and much larger buildings, which will be built to LEED standards, and will feature extensive use of wetlands and park spaces.^[246][247] The new campus features new multi-story parking decks with solar power-generating roofs,^[248] and a new natural gas power plant. The DTE Ford Central Energy Plant is a 34MW combined heat-and-power plant which features a high efficiency design and LEED Gold buildings.^[249]

Sponsorships

Ford sponsors numerous events and sports facilities around the U.S., most notably the Ford Center in downtown Evansville, Indiana, and Ford Field in downtown Detroit.^[250]

The company has also been a major sponsor of the

football.

Between 1994 and 1999, Ford was the main kit sponsor of German Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln.

Sales numbers

Calendar Year	US sales	Market share of US sales[251]
1997	3,877,458[252]	25.0%
1998	3,922,604[253]	24.5%
1999	4,163,369[254]	23.9%
2000	4,202,820	23.6%
2001	3,971,364	22.7%
2002	3,623,709[255]	21.2%
2003	3,483,719	20.5%
2004	3,331,676[256]	19.3%
2005	3,153,875	18.1%
2006	2,901,090[257]	17.0%
2007	2,507,366	15.2%
2008	1,988,376[258]	14.7%
2009	1,620,888[259]	15.3%
2010	1,935,462[260]	16.4%
2011	2,143,101[261]	16.4%
2012	2,250,165[262]	15.2%
2013	2,493,918[263]	15.7%
2014	2,480,942[264]	14.7%
2015	2,613,162[265]	14.6%
2016	2,614,697[266][267]	14.6%
2017	2,586,715[268]	14.7%
2018	2,497,318[268]	14.1%
2019	2,422,698[269]	13.8%
2020	2,044,744[270]	13.7%
2021	1,905,955[271]	12.4%

See also

References

Further reading

• Bak, Richard. Henry and Edsel: The Creation of the Ford Empire (2003)
• Bardou; Jean-Pierre, Jean-Jacques Chanaron, Patrick Fridenson, and James M. Laux. The Automobile Revolution: The Impact of an Industry University of North Carolina Press, 1982
• Batchelor, Ray. Henry Ford: Mass Production, Modernism and Design Manchester U. Press, 1994
• Bonin, Huber et al. Ford, 1902–2003: The European History 2 vol Paris 2003.
  ISBN 2-914369-06-9
  scholarly essays in English on Ford operations in Europe; reviewed in Len Holden, Len. "Fording the Atlantic: Ford and Fordism in Europe" in Business History Volume 47, #January 1, 2005, pp 122–127
• Bowman, Timothy J. Spirituality at Work: An Exploratory Sociological Investigation of the Ford Motor Company. London School of Economics and Political Science, 2004
• Brinkley, Douglas G. Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress (2003)
• Brinkley, Douglas. "Prime Mover". American Heritage 2003 54(3): 44–53. on Model T
• Bryan, Ford R. Henry's Lieutenants, 1993;
  ISBN 0-8143-2428-2
• Bucci, Federico. Albert Kahn: Architect of Ford Princeton Architectural Press, 1993
• Cabadas, Joseph P. River Rouge: Ford's Industrial Colossus (2004), heavily illustrated
• Dempsey, Mary A. "Fordlandia' Michigan History 1994 78(4): 24–33. Ford's rubber plantation in Brazil
• Flink, James. America Adopts the Automobile, 1895–1910 MIT Press, 1970
• Foster, Mark S. "The Model T, The Hard Sell, and Los Angeles Urban Growth: The Decentralization of Los Angeles During the 1920s." Pacific Historical Review 44.4 (November 1975): 459–84
• Halberstam, David. The Reckoning (1986) detailed reporting on decline of the auto industry. online; also
• Iacocca, Lee and William Novak. Iacocca: An Autobiography (1984)
• Jacobson, D. S. "The Political Economy of Industrial Location: the Ford Motor Company at Cork 1912–26." Irish Economic and Social History [Ireland] 1977 4: 36–55. Ford and Irish politics
• Lacey, Robert "Ford: The Men and the Machine" (Heinnemann, London) 0 414 401027 (1986)
• Levinson, William A. Henry Ford's Lean Vision: Enduring Principles from the First Ford Motor Plant, 2002;
  ISBN 1-56327-260-1
• Kuhn, Arthur J. GM Passes Ford, 1918–1938: Designing the General Motors Performance-Control System. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1986
• Magee, David. Ford Tough: Bill Ford and the Battle to Rebuild America's Automaker (2004)
• Maxton, Graeme P. and John Wormald, Time for a Model Change: Re-engineering the Global Automotive Industry (2004)
• May, George S. A Most Unique Machine: The Michigan Origins of the American Automobile Industry Eerdman's, 1975
• Maynard, Micheline. The End of Detroit: How the Big Three Lost Their Grip on the American Car Market (2003)
• McIntyre, Stephen L. "The Failure of Fordism: Reform of the Automobile Repair Industry, 1913–1940: Technology and Culture 2000 41(2): 269–299. repair shops rejected flat rates
• Nevins, Allan. Ford: the Times, the Man, the Company (vol 1 1954) online
• Nevins, Allan, and Frank Hill. Ford: Expansion and Challenge 1915-1933 (vol 2, 1957) online
• Nevins, Allan. Ford: Decline and rebirth, 1933-1962 (vol 3, 1963) online
• Rubenstein, James M. The Changing U.S. Auto Industry: A Geographical Analysis, Routledge, 1992
• Shiomi, Haruhito and Kazuo Wada. Fordism Transformed: The Development of Production Methods in the Automobile Industry, Oxford University Press, 1995
• ISBN 9780814332795
  .
• Studer-Noguez; Isabel. Ford and the Global Strategies of Multinationals: The North American Auto Industry Routledge, 2002
• Tedlow, Richard S. "The Struggle for Dominance in the Automobile Market: the Early Years of Ford and General Motors" Business and Economic History 1988 17: 49–62. Ford stressed low price based on efficient factories, but GM did better in oligopolistic competition by including investment in manufacturing, marketing, and management
• Thomas, Robert Paul. "The Automobile Industry and its Tycoon" Explorations in Entrepreneurial History 1969 6(2): 139–157. argues Ford did NOT have much influence on US industry
• Watts, Steven. The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century (2005)
• Wik, Reynold M. Henry Ford and Grass-Roots America, University of Michigan Press, 1972. impact on farmers
• Wilkins, Mira and Frank Ernest Hill, American Business Abroad: Ford on Six Continents Wayne State University Press, 1964
• Williams, Karel, Colin Haslam and John Williams, "Ford versus 'Fordism': The Beginning of Mass Production?" Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 6, No. 4, 517–555 (1992), stress on Ford's flexibility and commitment to continuous improvements.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ford Motor Company.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ford Motor Company.

• Official website
• Ford Motor Company records are archived at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
• Ford Motor Company companies grouped at OpenCorporates
• Business data for Ford Motor Company:
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