History of the Ford automobile brand
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History of the Ford automobile brand

One of the most famous car companies is Ford Motors. The firm's headquarters are located near Detroit, the city of motors, - Dearborn. At certain periods of history, this huge concern owned brands such as Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Aston Martin, etc. The company is engaged in the production of cars, trucks and agricultural vehicles.

Learn the story of how a fall from a horse was the impetus for the education and explosive growth of titanium in the automotive industry.

Ford's history

Working on his father's farm, an Irish immigrant falls off his horse. On that day in 1872, a thought flashed through Henry Ford's head: how does he want to have a vehicle that would be safer and more reliable than a horse-drawn analog.

History of the Ford automobile brand

This enthusiast, together with his 11 friends, amassing a large sum by those standards - 28 thousand dollars (most of this money was provided by 5 investors who believed in the success of the idea). With these funds, they found a small industrial enterprise. This event happened on 16.06.1903/XNUMX/XNUMX.

It is worth noting that Ford is the first auto company in the world to implement the principle of an assembly line of cars. However, before its start in 1913, mechanical means were assembled exclusively by hand. The first operational example was a stroller with a gasoline engine. The internal combustion engine had a capacity of 8 horsepower, and the crew was named Model-A.

History of the Ford automobile brand

Just five years after the company was founded, the world has received an affordable car model - the Model-T. The car received the nickname "Tin Lizzie". The car was produced until the 27th year of the last century.

In the late 20s, the company entered into a cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union. An American car manufacturer's plant is under construction in Nizhny Novgorod. Based on the developments of the parent company, a GAZ-A car, as well as a similar model with an AA index, were developed.

History of the Ford automobile brand

In the next decade, the brand, which is gaining popularity, builds factories in Germany, and collaborates with the Third Reich, producing both wheeled and tracked vehicles for the country's armed forces. On the part of the American army, this caused hostility. However, with the onset of World War II, Ford decides to end cooperation with Nazi Germany, and begins the production of military equipment for the United States.

Here is a short history of mergers and acquisitions of other brands:

  • 1922, under the leadership of the company, the Lincoln premium cars division begins;
  • 1939 - The Mercury brand is founded, with mid-value cars rolling off the assembly line. The division lasted until 2010;
  • 1986 - Ford acquires the Aston Martin brand. The division was sold in 2007;
  • 1990 - the purchase of the Jaguar brand is made, which in 2008 is transferred to the Indian manufacturer Tata Motors;
  • 1999 - the Volvo brand is acquired, the resale of which becomes known in 2010. The new owner of the division is the Chinese brand Zhenjiang Geely;
  • 2000 - the Land Rover brand is bought, which was also sold 8 years later to the Indian company Tata.

Owners and management

The company is managed entirely by the family of the founder of the brand. This is one of the largest corporations controlled by one family. In addition, Ford is classified as a public company. The movement of its shares is controlled by the stock exchange in New York.

History of the Ford automobile brand

Logo

The cars of the American manufacturer are recognizable by the simple label on the radiator grille. In a blue oval, the name of the company is written in white letters in the original font. The symbol of the brand displays a tribute to tradition and elegance, which can be traced in most of the company's models.

The logo has gone through several upgrades.

  • The first drawing was designed by Child Harold Wills in 1903. It was the name of the company, executed in a signature style. Along the edge, the emblem had a curly edging, inside which, in addition to the name of the manufacturer, the location of the headquarters was indicated.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1909 - The logo changes completely. Instead of a colorful plaque on the false radiators, the surname of the founder began to be located, made in the original capital font;History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1912 - the emblem receives additional elements - a blue background in the form of an eagle with spread wings. In the center, the name of the brand is executed in large letters, and an advertising slogan is written under it - "Universal car";History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1912 - the brand logo gets the usual oval shape. Ford is written in black letters on a white background;History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1927 - A blue oval background with white edging appears. The name of the car brand is written in white letters;History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1957 - the oval changes to a symmetrical shape elongated at the sides. The shade of the background changes. The inscription itself remains unchanged;History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1976 - The previous figure is shaped like a stretched oval with a silver edging. The background itself is made in a style that gives the inscriptions volume;History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2003 - the silver frame disappears, the background shade is more muted. The upper part is lighter than the lower one. A smooth color transition is made between them, due to which an even inscription turns out to be voluminous.History of the Ford automobile brand

activity

The company provides a wide range of services in the automotive industry. The brand's enterprises create passenger cars, as well as commercial trucks and buses. The concern can be conditionally divided into 3 structural divisions:

  • North American;
  • Asia-Pacific;
  • European.

These divisions are geographically separated. Until 2006, each of them produced equipment for a specific market for which they were responsible. The turning point in this policy was the decision of the director of the company, Roger Mulally (this change of engineer and businessman saved the brand from collapse) to make Ford "One". The essence of the idea was for the company to produce global models for different types of markets. The idea was embodied in the third generation Ford Focus.

Models

Here is the story of the brand in models:

  • 1903 - the production of the first car model starts, which received the A.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1906 - Model K appears, in which a 6-cylinder motor was first installed. Its power was 40 horsepower. Due to the poor build quality, the model did not last long on the market. A similar story was with Model B. Both options were aimed at wealthy motorists. The failure of the versions was the impetus for the production of more budget cars.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1908 - the iconic Model T appears, which proved to be very popular not only for its quality, but also for its attractive price. Initially, it was sold at $ 850. (for comparison, Model K was offered at a price of $ 2), a little later, cheaper materials were used, which made it possible to reduce the cost of transport by almost half ($ 800).History of the Ford automobile brand The car had a 2,9-liter engine. It was paired with a two-speed planetary gearbox. It was the very first car to have a million circulation. On the chassis of this model, various types of transport were created, ranging from a two-seater luxury crew to an ambulance.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1922 - Acquisition of the luxury auto division, Lincoln for the wealthy.
  • 1922-1950 the company makes a number of decisions to expand the geography of production, concluding agreements with different countries in which the company's enterprises were built.
  • 1932 - The company becomes the first manufacturer in the world to produce monolithic V-blocks with 8 cylinders.
  • 1938 - A division of Mercury is created to provide the market with mid-range cars (between the classic cheap Ford and the presentable Lincoln).
  • The beginning of the 50s was a time of searching for original and revolutionary ideas. So, in 1955, the Thunderbird appears in the back of a hardtop (what is the peculiarity of this type of body, Read here). The iconic car has received as many as 11 generations. Under the hood of the car was a V-shaped 4,8-liter power unit that develops a capacity of 193 horsepower. Despite the fact that the car was intended for wealthy drivers, the model was very popular.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1959 - Another popular car, the Galaxie, appears. The model received 6 body types, a child lock, and an improved steering column.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1960 - Production of the Falcon begins, which later served as the platform for the Maverick, Granada and the first generation Mustang. The car in the basic configuration received a 2,4-liter engine with 90 horsepower. It was an inline 6-cylinder power unit.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1964 - The legendary Ford Mustang appears. It was the fruit of the company's search for a stellar model that would cost a lot of money, but at the same time was the most desirable for lovers of beautiful and powerful vehicles. The concept of the model was presented a year earlier, but before that the company had created several prototypes of this car, although it never brought them to life.History of the Ford automobile brand Under the hood of the novelty was the same inline-six as that of the Falcon, only the displacement was slightly increased (up to 2,8 liters). The car received excellent dynamics and low-cost maintenance, and its most key advantage was comfort, which was not endowed with cars before.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1966 - The company finally succeeds in competing with the Ferrari brand on the Le Mans road. The most powerful and reliable sports car of the American brand GT-40 brings glory.History of the Ford automobile brand After the triumph, the brand presents the road version of the legend - the GT-40 MKIII. Under the hood was the familiar 4,7-liter V-eight. Peak power was 310 hp. Although the car proved to be tough, it was not updated until 2003. The new generation received a larger engine (5,4 liters), which accelerated the car to "hundreds" in 3,2 seconds, and the maximum speed limit was 346 km / h.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1968 - The sporty Escort Twin Cam appears. The car took first place in a race that took place in Ireland, as well as a number of competitions in different countries until 1970. The sports career of the brand allowed attracting new buyers who loved car racing and appreciated quality cars with innovative electronic systems.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1970 - The Taunus (European left-hand drive version) or Cortina ("English" right-hand drive version) appears.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1976 - Production of the Econoline E-series begins, with the transmission, engine and chassis from F-series pickups and SUVs.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1976 - The first generation of the Fiesta appears.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1980 - Production of the historic Bronco begins. It was a pickup truck with a shorter but high chassis. Due to its high ground clearance, the model was popular for a long time due to its cross-country ability, even when more decent models of comfortable SUVs came out.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1982 - Launch of the rear-wheel drive Sierra.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1985 - real chaos reigns in the car market: due to the global oil crisis, popular cars have sharply lost their positions, and Japanese small cars have come to their place. The competitors' models had minimal fuel consumption, and their performance was not inferior to the powerful and gluttonous American cars. The company's management decides to release another popular model. Of course, it did not replace the Mustang, but it received good recognition among motorists. It was the Taurus. Despite the difficult economic situation, the new product turned out to be the best-selling product in the entire history of the brand's existence.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1990 - Another American bestseller, Explorer, appears. This year and the next, the model receives an award in the category of best all-wheel drive SUV. A 4-liter gasoline engine with 155 hp was installed under the hood of the car. It worked in tandem with a 4-position automatic transmission or a 5-speed mechanical analogue.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1993 - the launch of the Mondeo model was announced, in which new safety standards for the driver and passengers were applied.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1994 - Production of the Windstar minibus starts.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1995 - at the Geneva Motor Show, the Galaxy (EUROPE division) was shown, which in 2000 underwent a serious restyling.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1996 - Expedition is launched to replace the beloved Bronco.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 1998 - The Geneva Motor Show introduces the Focus model, which replaces the Escort subcompact.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2000 - A prototype Ford Escape was shown at the Detroit Motor Show.History of the Ford automobile brand For Europe, a similar SUV was created - the Maverick.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2002 - the C-Max model appears, which received most of the systems from the Focus, but with a more functional body.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2002 - motorists were offered the Fusion city car.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2003 - the Tourneo Connect, a high-performance car with a modest appearance, appears.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2006 - The S-Max was created on the chassis of the new Galaxy.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2008 - The company opens the crossover niche with the release of the Kuga.History of the Ford automobile brand
  • 2012 - an innovative development of a super-efficient engine appears. The development was named Ecoboost. The motor has been awarded the International Motor award several times.

Over the next years, the company has been developing powerful, economical, premium and simply beautiful cars for different categories of motorists. In addition, the company is developing in the production of commercial vehicles.

Here are some more interesting models of the brand:

History of the Ford automobile brand
Time
History of the Ford automobile brand
Sport track
History of the Ford automobile brand
Puma
History of the Ford automobile brand
KA
History of the Ford automobile brand
Freestyle
History of the Ford automobile brand
F
History of the Ford automobile brand
Edge
History of the Ford automobile brand
Courier
History of the Ford automobile brand
Sample
History of the Ford automobile brand
Ixion
History of the Ford automobile brand
Flex
History of the Ford automobile brand
COUGAR
History of the Ford automobile brand
Shelby
History of the Ford automobile brand
Orion
History of the Ford automobile brand
five hundred
History of the Ford automobile brand
Contour
History of the Ford automobile brand
Aspire
History of the Ford automobile brand
Crown Victoria
History of the Ford automobile brand
Cleaning

And here's a quick overview of the rarest Ford models:

YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH FORDS YET! THE MOST RARE FORD MODELS (PART 2)

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