Ford
Ford Motor Company is known as one of the “Big Three” American manufacturers and over the years has attracted and kept millions of loyal customers. Ford has produced a wide range of dynamic and innovative products over the years. Ford expanded into the luxury car market when it purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1925. The company expanded further by creating the Mercury division which produced mid-priced cars. By the late 30’s the Ford Company had unveiled the stylish Lincoln Zephyr, introduced a low priced V8 engine and had built over 25 million vehicles.
The Ford Motor Company has been selling mass produced automobiles in the US and around the globe for more than 100 years. In 1903 Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company and started out by producing the Model A and then the Model T. The Model T is the best known of this series and was produced between 1908 and 1927; during its lifespan 16.5 million were sold. In the early years Ford was the first to utilize the moving assembly line; this innovation became a mainstay in the auto manufacturing process.
In the postwar era Ford introduced the legendary Thunderbird, which was a combination of performance and luxury features. This car was a huge hit. Ford also introduced a new brand called the Edsel which never took off and was discontinued after its third model year. The launch of the sporty Ford Mustang was monumental for the company. The Ford Mustang went on to become one of the biggest sellers of its day and is still going strong.
Ford became popular again in the 1990’s when it introduced the Explorer which was a midsized SUV. This vehicle was a huge success and played a large role in ushering the era of the SUV. In 1999, Ford expanded even more by purchasing Volvo’s car division and the Land Rover in 2000. There was the unforeseen downturn in the automobile industry and eventually Ford sold off the Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover to cut their losses. The future is unclear but Ford will likely see brighter days ahead.
