Henry Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903 with 1000 shares and 12 investors. Almost its entire cash investment of $28,000 was used up by the time the company sold its first Ford Model A on July 23, 1903. However, the company recovered and made a profit of $37,000 by October 1, 1903. Since its inception that year, the Ford Motor Company has completed many milestones. Let’s take a look at some of those key milestones over the years.
Ford Motor Company: 1903-1913
Ford Motor Company of Canada was established in 1904 to sell vehicles in Canada, as well as across the British Empire. The company’s first international plant was built that same year in Walkerville, Ontario (currently Windsor).
In 1908, Ford introduced the Model T. It embodied Henry Ford’s vision of a car for the mass market: reasonable price, efficiency, ease of maintenance, and reliability. Often called the “Tin Lizzie”, Model T’s critical parts were made of strong and light vanadium steel alloy to make it suitable for the primitive roads of that time. It’s interesting to note that the US then had just about 18,000 miles of paved road. Vehicles that existed in the market at that time were mostly luxurious novelties, which were far from the affordable transport Ford knew that the masses needed.
In 1908, the first overseas sales branch of Ford opened its doors in Paris.
In 1913, Ford introduced its first assembly line production model to revolutionize the automobile industry.
Ford Motor Company: 1914-1924
Ford revolutionized manufacturing once again in 1914 by offering a $5 daily wage for a reduced workday of 8 hours (double the existing wage for 9 hours) to its factory employees.
In 1919, Ford started work on the self-contained River Rouge Complex, which emerged as the world’s largest integrated factory in the following decade. It was the same year that the Ford Model TT (a truck based on Ford Motor Company’s T car, albeit with a reinforced chassis along with rear axle) was produced. It was the first-ever truck made by the company.
In 1918, Ford’s River Rouge Complex started manufacturing 42 Eagle-class boats (antisubmarine patrol boats) in its effort to help WWI allies. Along from these boats, the company also produced 38,000+ Model T cars, trucks, and ambulances, 4,000 Liberty airplane engines, 7,000 Fordson tractors, and armoured tanks of two types for the Allies. Later, Ford became one of the first companies to hire disabled war veterans and adapting its work environments to meet their specific requirements.
In 1919, Edsel Ford succeeded his father, Henry, as the company’s president. The same day, Henry Ford put a plan in action to buy out his investors and acquire full ownership of the business for himself, his wife Clara, and Edsel.
Thanks to Edsel’s interest in artistic automotive design, Ford Motor Company soon started producing cars that were both visually appealing and practical.
In 1922, Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company, which would go on to produce many of Ford’s luxury cars in the years that followed. Some of the most notable include the 1931-1939 K-Series, Lincoln Continental, 1936 Zephyr, and both the first-generation and classic 1956-1957 Continental Mark II.
By 1923, Ford Motor Company was producing over 50% of America’s automobiles.
Ford Motor Company 1925-1935
In 1925, Ford tri-motor airplanes’ production began. Nicknamed ‘Tin Goose,’ Ford’s plane was one of the first used by the early commercial airlines in America.
In 1927, the production of Ford’s Model T was stopped (after 15 million of them had driven off the assembly line) and Model A was launched. The new car had innovative features, such as a safety glass windshield, and was the first to display the iconic blue oval logo. Despite the Great Depression, more than 5 million Model A cars were sold by 1931.
The flat-head V8 engine was introduced in 1932 and it was powerful, affordable and versatile. It was an instant hit. Its huge popularity is confirmed by its longevity – it remained in production for more than 22 years!
Ford Motor Company 1936-1946
With its sleek aerodynamic shape, the Lincoln Zephyr line became a hot-selling car when Ford brought it to the market in 1936. However, its production stopped when WWII triggered a cessation in auto production.
Edsel Ford unveiled the medium-priced Mercury brand in 1938 to fill the gap between luxurious Lincoln cars and affordable Ford cars. The 1939 Mercury 8 with a V8 engine was the first of the line. For the US military, Ford started producing Jeeps in 1941. To indicate their use for general purpose, the vehicles were nicknamed ‘GP.’
In 1941, Ford signed its first contract with the UAW-CIO guaranteeing better pay, working conditions, and benefits for its employees. The following year, the company stopped civilian auto production to produce military equipment for the US. Leveraging its manufacturing expertise, Ford facilities produced over 8,000 B-24 Liberator bombers along with an astounding number of planes, automobiles, aircraft engines, tanks, and other materials as part of its war effort.
After Edsel Ford’s death in 1943, Henry Ford returned to the company’s presidency. In 1945, he turned it over to Henry Ford II – his grandson, who hired young, talented managers to revive the corporate culture and reorganized the company’s tangled financial management system.
Ford Motor Company 1947-1957
With its first post-war truck design, Ford unveiled its F-Series line of trucks available in eight weight ratings (from F-1 with a half-ton capacity to F-8 with three-ton capacity) and eight sizes. In 1953, the company replaced the F-1 with the half-ton F-100, together with the F-350 one-ton trucks and the F-250 ¾ ton trucks.
In 1948, the 1949 Ford was launched with an updated V8, wind tunnel-tested aerodynamic shape, spinner grille, and integrated pontoon fenders.
1954 was the year when Thunderbird (T-bird) with unique porthole windows was introduced. The car focused on convenience and comfort over sportiness. The same year, Ford began to crash test its vehicles.
In 1954, Ford became a publicly-traded company with its IPO of common stock shares being the largest IPO in history. The same year, the Continental Mark II was introduced by the company’s Continental division. The car was a revival of the 1941 Continental which was designed for Edsel’s private use.
Ford Edsel was brought to the market in 1957.
Ford Motor Company 1958-1968
In 1964, the Ford Mustang – with its short deck and long hood, went on sale. With its customization options and affordable price tag, it soon became a huge success. It was one of the fastest-selling vehicles in automotive history and with songs like “Mustang Sally”, it soon acquired a cult-like status.
In 1966, three Ford GT40 MK IIs sweep the 24 Hours of Le Mans’ podium, making Ford the first American manufacturer to ever win the race. Ford’s win broke the six-year winning streak of Ferrari at Le Mans. Ford went on to enjoy three consecutive wins in the years that followed, with different generations of the GT40.
Ford Motor Company 1969-1979
The Ford Fiesta, a subcompact hatchback, was introduced in 1976, which became the company’s first globally successful front-wheel-drive model.
Ford Motor Company 1980-1990
Phillip Caldwell became the CEO and chairman of Ford in 1980. In 1981, the company started selling the fifth generation Escort world car, which became one of its best-selling vehicles in the ’80s. Since 1982, Ford’s F-series has been the best-selling vehicle in the US. The F-100 was replaced in 1984 by the F-150 line of trucks.
In 1985, Ford’s Taurus was evidence of a revolution in automotive design, with its aerodynamic ‘jelly bean’ body and front-wheel-drive design.
A modular assembly line was introduced in 1986 at Ford’s St. Louis assembly plant to manufacture vehicle sub-assemblies. In 1990, Ford launched the Explorer for the domestic SUV market.
Ford Motor Company 1991-2001
Ford introduced its new global sedan to the world, the Mondego, in 1993. However, until 2000, the car was sold in the US as the Mercury Mystique and Ford Contour. Today, the US market knows the Mondego as the Fusion.
Ford’s Ranger EV (Electric Vehicle) was unveiled in 1996. It can be called a predecessor of modern EVs.
With Bill Ford becoming the company’s CEO in 2001, the company’s focus returned to its core operations of building cars.
Ford Motor Company 2002-today
In 2003, Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary and to commemorate the milestone, offered limited centennial editions of five of its vehicles which were in its lineup at the time. In 2004, the company launched GT as its premium sports car. In 2006, Alan Mullaly became Ford’s CEO and president and helped it weather the financial crisis of 2008.
In 2007, Ford partnered with Microsoft to offer SYNC (voice activated, hands-free connectivity system with mobile integration) in vehicles. In 2009, the turbocharged EcoBoost line of engines was offered to ensure better fuel economy and more power than same-sized, naturally-aspirated engines. In 2011, the Mercury line was stopped to focus more on Lincoln and Ford brands.
In 2014, Ford launched the aluminum-bodied, 13th generation 2015 F-150. Ford Mustang celebrated its 50th anniversary the same year with the all-new sixth-generation pony car fitted with an independent rear suspension and an assortment of high-output engines.
Mark Fields succeeds Mullally and aims to encourage product excellence and innovation by building momentum around the One Ford plan. Ford Smart Mobility LLC, comes into existence in 2016 to take the company to the next level in data and analytics, mobility, connectivity, customer experience, and autonomous vehicles. Ford introduced snow-testing – a first in the industry, and a Sync 3 system on Lincoln and Ford vehicles the same year.
Ford celebrated 50 years of its 24 Hours of Le Mans win when four Ford GTs (with numbers 66, 67, 68 and 69) were entered in the company’s Chip Ganassi Racing team to honour its four consecutive historic victories, the first of which took place 50 years earlier.
