Ford

Overview

Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903, headquartered in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company first began in a converted factory in 1903. The company had $28000 in investments from twelve individuals. Over the decades, Ford became a very successful multinational American car manufacturer with production facilities in many countries.

Ford is a multinational American car manufacturer listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The two brand names the company sells are Ford, whose models include cars and some commercial vehicles, and Lincoln, a luxury brand of cars. Ford also holds a minority stake in Mazda and Aston Martin. Ford had also owned Volvo until 2010.   The Ford family does have control over the company, even though they have minority ownership.  Ford is considered to be the second-largest automaker based in the US, and has been ranked as the fifth-largest in the world, based on their 2010 sales.

Ford does not only manufacture cars, trucks, and SUVs, but in the past has also manufactured buses and tractors. From 1938, Ford produced the Mercury brand which had been marketed as entry-level luxury cars in the US. However, it discontinued this brand in 2011. Ford is heavily involved in motorsports, especially stock car racing, Formula One, and rally, and has created a reputation in this industry.

Ford is known for its introduction of methods for manufacturing cars on a large-scale by using moving assembly lines. In fact, decades ago the term “Fordism” was coined for these methods of production. Today Ford has over 90 facilities all over the world. In 2008, Ford had approximately 213,000 employees in those production facilities world-wide.

Flagship Vehicle

Ford Mustang – the Mustang is a widely known Ford vehicle. It was first introduced in 1964 and eventually became the second most successful car in Ford’s history.  One of its direct competitors was the Chevrolet Camaro. This model set the stage for other car manufacturers to make sports car coupes, for example the Toyota Celica. The Mustang is still extremely popular in today’s car industry. In fact, Ford re-designed the fifth generation Mustang in 2005 and each year since has made changes to make the car faster, lighter, and has introduced new colors and safety features.

SUV’s and Crossovers
Sub Compacts
Mid Size
Convertible

Conclusion

The name Ford has been a well-recognized brand in many households in the United States. Ford was a founding father, so to speak, in the car manufacturer industry, especially in the area of sports cars – their Mustang is still a best-selling car today. “Fordism” was a term created for the methods Ford implemented to create assembly lines for large-scale manufacturing. Their line-up of vehicles is significant, with every category of vehicle having a model, making them one of the largest car manufacturers in the world.