FORD- THE COMPANY

History of FORD
The Ford Motor Company is an American automaker, the world's fifth largest based
on worldwide vehicle sales. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, it was
founded by Henry Ford on June 16, 1903. Ford Motor Company would go on to
become one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. The largest
family-controlled company in the world, the Ford Motor Company has been in
continuous family control for over 110 years

Henry Ford built his first automobile, which he called a quadricycle, at his home in
Detroit in 1896. At the entrance to the Michigan Building, there is a commemorative
plaque identifying the original location of the Ford home. His initial foray into
automobile manufacturing was the Detroit Automobile Company, founded in 1899.
The company foundered, and in 1901 was reorganized as the Henry Ford Company.

THE FIRST VEHICLE OF FORD

During its early years, the company produced a range of vehicles designated,
chronologically, from the Ford Model A (1903) to the Model K and Model S (Ford's
last right-hand steering model)[4] of 1907.[4] The K, Ford's first six-cylinder model, was
known as "the gentleman's roadster" and "the silent cyclone", and sold for US$2800
In 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which totaled millions sold
over nearly 20 years. In 1927, Ford replaced the T with the Model A, the first car with
safety glass in the windshield.[20] Ford launched the first low-priced car with a
V8 engine in 1932

FORD MODEL T (1908):

The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor
Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927.[15] It is generally regarded as the
first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class
Americans.[16] The relatively low price was partly the result of Ford's efficient
fabrication, including assembly line production instead of individual handcrafting.
Ford's Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive
transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for
the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States' age of
modernization.[22] With over 15 million sold,[23] it was the most sold car in history
 1925 Ford Model T Touring Car

Overview

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Production 1908–1927

Assembly show

List

Designer Childe Harold Wills, main-engineer Joseph A.

Galamb and Eugene Farkas

Body and chassis

Class Economy car[13]

Body style Show

List

Layout FMR layout

Powertrain

Engine 177 C.I.D. (2.9 L) 20 hp I4

Transmission 2-speed planetary gear

 Dimensions

Wheelbase 100.0 in (2,540 mm)

Length 134 in (3,404 mm)

Width 1,676 mm (66.0 in) (1912 roadster)[14]

Height 1,860 mm (73.2 in) (1912 roadster)[14]

Curb weight 1,200–1,650 lb (540–750 kg)

Chronology

Predecessor Ford Model N (1906–1908)

Successor Ford Model A (1927–31)

DURING WW2:
In 1929, Ford was contracted by the government of the Soviet Union to set up
the Gorky Automobile Plant in Russia initially producing Ford Model A and AAs
thereby playing an important role in the industrialization of that country
During World War II, the United States Department of War picked Ford to mass-
produce the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber at its Willow Run assembly plant.
[22]
Ford Werke and Ford SAF (Ford's subsidiaries in Germany and France,
respectively) produced military vehicles and other equipment for Nazi Germany's war
effort. Some of Ford's operations in Germany at the time were run using forced labor.

RISE OF FORD IN CARS COMPANY:

(1956-1990s)
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. 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.
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
The Ford Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964, during New York World's Fair.
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. 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

DOWNFALL OF FORD:
(21st century)
The economy had been liberalised in 1991, the government was welcoming
investors, and the middle class was expected to fuel a consumption frenzy. Rising
disposable income would help foreign carmakers to a market share of as much as 10
per cent, forecasters said.

It never happened.

Last week, Ford took a $2 billion hit to stop making cars in India, following
compatriots General Motors Co and Harley-Davidson Inc in closing factories in the
country.

Ford had excess capacity at its first India plant when it invested $1 billion on a
second in 2015. It had planned to make India an export base and raise its share of a
market projected to hit 7 million cars a year by 2020 and 9 million by 2025.But the
sales never followed and overall market growth stalled. Ford now utilises only about
20 per cent of its combined annual capacity of 440,000 cars..

Instead, sales have stagnated at about 3 million cars. The growth rate has slowed to
3.6 per cent in the last decade versus 12 per cent a decade earlier.

Ford's retreat marks the end of an Indian dream for U.S. carmakers. It also follows its
exit from Brazil announced in January, reflecting an industry pivot from emerging
markets to what is now widely seen as make-or-break investment in electric vehicles.

Analysts and executives said foreigners badly misjudged India's potential and
underestimated the complexities of operating in a vast country that rewards domestic
procurement.

Many failed to adapt to a preference for small, cheap, fuel-efficient cars that could
bump over uneven roads without needing expensive repairs. In India, 95 per cent of
cars are priced below $20,000.
Lower tax on small cars also made it harder for makers of larger cars for Western
markets to compete with small-car specialists such as Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp -
controlling shareholder of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India's biggest carmaker by sales.

To use its excess capacity, Ford planned to build compact cars in India for emerging
markets but shelved plans in 2016 amid a global consumer preference shift to SUVs.

It changed its cost structure in 2018 and the following year started work on a joint
venture with local peer Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd designed to reduce costs. Three
years later, in December, the partners abandoned the idea

After sinking $2.5 billion in India since entry and burning another $2 billion over the
past decade alone, Ford decided not to invest more.

Logo evolution
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1903

1907

1909

1911
 

1912

1912 variant

1927

1957

1976

2003

 2017
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