The Henry Ford Company, established on November 3, 1901, was Henry Ford's initial venture into car manufacturing. After Ford's departure, this company became the Cadillac Motor Company on August 22, 1902. In 1903, the Ford Motor Company was launched with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, including John and Horace Dodge. John S. Gray, a local banker, served as the first president to reassure investors. In its early years, the company produced a few cars daily at its factories on Mack Avenue and later Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, with groups of two or three men assembling cars from supplier-made parts. Within a decade, Ford led the world in assembly line expansion and refinement, eventually bringing much of the part production in-house through vertical integration. Henry Ford was 39 when he founded the company, which has remained under continuous family control for over 100 years.
Ford contributed to making automobiles affordable for the middle class through innovations like the first moving assembly line, introduced in 1913 at the Highland Park factory. Between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S, selling hundreds or a few thousand of each annually. In 1908, the mass-produced Model T was introduced, selling millions over nearly two decades. The Model T was replaced by the Model A in 1927, which was the first production car to feature laminated safety glass in the windshield. In 1932, Ford launched the first low-priced car with a V8 engine.
To compete with General Motors' mid-priced brands, Ford created Mercury in 1939 as a higher-priced companion car. Henry Ford acquired the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922 to compete in the luxury segment with brands like Cadillac and Packard.
In 1929, the Soviet Union government contracted Ford to establish the Gorky Automobile Plant in Russia, initially producing Ford Model A and AA vehicles. This played a role in the industrialization of the country and its World War II effort, leading Stalin to write a letter in 1944 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, calling Henry Ford "one of the world's greatest industrialists."
During World War II, the United States Department of War selected Ford to mass-produce the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber at its Willow Run assembly plant. Ford's subsidiaries in Germany (Ford Werke) and France (Ford SAF) produced military vehicles and equipment for Nazi Germany's war effort, with some German operations utilizing forced labor.
Ford's involvement in superconductivity research began with the establishment of a scientific laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1951. In 1964, Ford Research Labs invented the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID).
In 1956, Ford offered the Lifeguard safety package, which included a standard deep-dish steering wheel, optional front and rear seatbelts (a first for cars), and an optional padded dash. Child-proof door locks were introduced in 1957, the same year Ford offered the first retractable hardtop on a mass-produced six-seater car.
In late 1955, Ford established the Continental division for luxury cars, responsible for the Continental Mark II. Concurrently, the Edsel division was created for the 1958 model year. Due to limited sales of the Continental and the "Edsel disaster," Ford merged Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln into "M-E-L," which reverted to "Lincoln-Mercury" after Edsel's demise in November 1959.
The Ford Mustang was introduced on April 17, 1964, at the New York World's Fair. In 1965, Ford introduced the seat belt reminder light. The 1980s saw the introduction of several successful vehicles globally, accompanied by the advertising slogan, "Have you driven a Ford, lately?" Ford acquired Jaguar Cars and Aston Martin in 1990 and 1994, respectively. The mid-to-late 1990s were marked by high vehicle sales in a booming American economy with low fuel prices.
With the turn of the century, rising healthcare costs, higher fuel prices, and a faltering economy led to declining market shares, sales, and profit margins. Most corporate profits came from consumer automobile loans through Ford Motor Credit Company.
William Clay Ford Jr., great-grandson of Henry Ford, became executive chairman in 1998 and CEO in 2001, the first Ford family member to lead the company since Henry Ford II's retirement in 1982. Ford sold motorsport engineering company Cosworth in 2004, marking a decrease in its motorsport involvement. In April 2006, Bill Ford assumed the roles of president and chief operations officer upon Jim Padilla's retirement. Five months later, Alan Mulally was named president and CEO, with Ford continuing as executive chairman.
By 2005, both Ford and GM's corporate bonds were downgraded to junk status due to high U.S. healthcare costs, soaring gasoline prices, eroding market share, and overdependence on declining SUV sales. Profit margins on large vehicles decreased due to increased incentives. In late 2005, Chairman Bill Ford tasked Mark Fields, President of Ford Americas Division, with developing a profitability plan. Fields previewed "The Way Forward" plan on December 7, 2005, and it was unveiled publicly on January 23, 2006. This plan involved resizing the company, discontinuing unprofitable models, consolidating production lines, closing 14 factories, and cutting 30,000 jobs.
Ford began introducing "Crossover SUVs" built on unibody car platforms. For the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, the company licensed Toyota's hybrid technologies to avoid patent infringements. Ford partnered with Southern California Edison (SCE) to study plug-in hybrids, converting a demonstration fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids into plug-in hybrids for evaluation.
In December 2006, Ford increased its borrowing capacity to about $25 billion, using substantially all corporate assets as collateral, with Bill Ford stating, "bankruptcy is not an option." In November 2007, Ford and the United Auto Workers agreed to a contract settlement that reduced retiree healthcare costs through a company-funded, independently run Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust, which took effect on January 1, 2010. Ford contributed its entire current liability of US$5.5 billion and pre-paid US$500 million of future liabilities to the VEBA in cash.
The automaker reported a record annual loss of $12.7 billion in 2006, expecting profitability by 2009. However, Ford posted a $750 million profit in the second quarter of 2007, but ended the year with a $2.7 billion loss, largely due to finance restructuring at Volvo. On June 2, 2008, Ford sold its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion.
During congressional hearings in November 2008, Alan Mulally stated Ford was "hopeful that we have enough liquidity" but also needed to prepare for "further deteriorating economic conditions." He supported Chrysler and General Motors' requests for government bridge loans during the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis, requesting a $9 billion credit line for Ford as a "critical backstop." GM and Chrysler received government loans through T.A.R.P. funding.
In December 2008, the cost of credit default swaps to insure Ford's debt was 68 percent of the sum insured for five years. In January 2009, Ford reported a record $14.6 billion loss for the preceding year but maintained sufficient liquidity. By April 2009, debt-for-equity exchanges erased $9.9 billion in liabilities, leading to a $2.7 billion profit in fiscal year 2009, its first full-year profit in four years. In 2012, Ford's corporate bonds were upgraded to investment grade.
On October 29, 2012, Ford sold its climate control components business to Detroit Thermal Systems LLC. On November 1, 2012, Ford announced CEO Alan Mulally would stay until 2014, and Mark Fields was named chief operating officer. Mulally's compensation of over $174 million since 2006 was a point of contention for some workers.
In April 2016, Ford announced a ten-year, $1.2 billion plan to modernize its Dearborn engineering and headquarters campuses, doubling the number of employees to 24,000 and altering facilities for ride-sharing and electric/self-driving vehicles.
On January 3, 2017, CEO Mark Fields announced Ford canceled plans for a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico for the Ford Focus, instead investing $700 million in Michigan to create 700 new jobs. The Focus would be manufactured in an existing Mexican plant. Also in 2017, Ford began developing a mixed-use urban campus in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, focusing on autonomous and electric vehicle technology, including the purchase of Michigan Central Station. Ford expects to move 2,500 employees there, with space for an additional 2,500 partners. In February 2017, Ford acquired majority ownership of Argo AI, a self-driving car startup.
In May 2017, Ford announced global workforce cuts and a nearly 10% reduction in salaried staff in Asia and North America to improve profits. Jim Hackett replaced Mark Fields as CEO, having previously overseen Ford Smart Mobility. On April 25, 2018, Ford announced it would discontinue most passenger cars in North America, except the Mustang, to focus on trucks and SUVs. The Focus Active crossover, intended for the U.S., was canceled due to tariffs on Chinese exports.
In March 2020, Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced partial factory shutdowns on a "rotating" basis to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 24, Ford announced production in the US, Canada, and Mexico would not resume on March 30. In the first quarter of 2020, Ford's sales dropped 15%, resulting in a $2 billion loss.
On January 6, 2021, Ford reported a 9.8% sales fall in the fourth quarter, selling 542,749 vehicles compared to 601,862 in 2019. In April 2021, Ford announced it would provide COVID-19 vaccines for employees at company sites. In May 2021, Ford announced BlueOval SK, a battery joint venture with SK Innovation in North America. In September 2021, Ford partnered with Argo AI and Walmart to introduce a multi-city service for grocery delivery using Ford's self-driving test vehicles.
In March 2022, Ford announced a restructuring into three divisions: Ford Model E (electric vehicles), Ford Blue (internal combustion vehicles), and Ford Pro (commercial vehicles). In August 2022, Ford announced layoffs of approximately 3,000 employees and contract workers, mainly in the US, Canada, and India, to prepare for electric, software-heavy vehicles.
In February 2023, Ford announced 3,800 job cuts across Europe, primarily in Germany (2,300) and the UK (1,300), mainly affecting engineers. Ford also reported its electric vehicle business lost $3 billion before taxes over the past two years and expected a similar loss in 2023, with profitability projected by 2026 for Ford Model E. In April 2023, UK ministers approved Ford's BlueCruise technology, allowing hands-free driving on certain roads up to 129 km/h (80 mph). This Level 2 partial automation system, initially offered in the 2023 Mustang Mach-E, still requires human driver control. In August 2024, Pennsylvania State Police filed charges against a driver who killed two men while using BlueCruise.
In November 2024, Ford announced 800 job cuts in the UK and 2,900 in Germany to reduce costs. In September 2025, Ford announced the relocation of its headquarters from the "Glass House" to a new facility in Dearborn, with the old building slated for demolition by mid-2026. In December 2025, Ford entered a JV disposition agreement with SK On, dividing BlueOval SK plants and pivoting to ESS. Also in December 2025, Ford announced $19.5 billion in write-downs on electric mobility investments, scrapping several planned electric models to focus on hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles due to cuts in subsidies.
Ford is one of three American constructors to win titles in FIA World Championships. As a constructor, Ford won the World Sportscar Championship three times (1966, 1967, 1968) and the World Rally Championship four times (1979, 2006, 2007, 2017 for manufacturers; 1979, 1981, 2017, 2018 for drivers). Ford also helped Eggenberger Motorsport win the 1987 World Touring Car Championship entrants' title. As an engine supplier, Ford won 13 Formula One World Drivers' Championships and 10 Formula One World Constructors' Championships. Ford is one of three constructors, alongside Mercedes-Benz and McLaren, to achieve the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix wins) as an engine manufacturer, winning the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix.
IndyCars with Ford engines first competed in 1935. Ford's first Indy win was in 1965. Ford motors, including the Cosworth-developed DFX engine, have won the Indianapolis 500 eighteen times. On May 12, 1996, Arie Luyendyk, driving a Ford Cosworth XB-powered IndyCar, set Indianapolis 500 qualification records for fastest lap (237.498 mph) and fastest four-lap average (236.986 mph), which still stand as of 2022.
Formula Ford, conceived in the UK in 1966, is an entry-level formula racing category where many current formula racing drivers began their careers.
Ford supplied engines to Formula One teams from 1967 to 2004, designed and manufactured by Cosworth, which Ford owned from 1998 to 2004. Ford-badged engines won 176 Grands Prix for teams like Team Lotus and McLaren. Ford entered Formula One as a constructor in 2000 as Jaguar Racing, after buying Stewart Grand Prix. Jaguar Racing had limited success, and Ford withdrew after the 2004 season, selling Jaguar Racing (which became Red Bull Racing) and Cosworth. Ford announced its return to Formula One in 2026, partnering with Red Bull Powertrains.
Ford is one of three manufacturers in NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series, with major teams including RFK Racing, Team Penske, and Wood Brothers Racing. Ford has won eight manufacturer's championships in the Cup Series, and Mercury has won one. Ford earned its 1,000th Cup Series victory in the 2013 Quicken Loans 400.
Ford has a long history in rallying, active in the World Rally Championship since 1973. Ford won the 1979 manufacturers' title with Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård, and Ari Vatanen driving the Ford Escort RS1800. In the Group B era, Ford achieved success with the Ford RS200. Since 1999, Ford has used various versions of the Ford Focus WRC. In 2006, the BP-Ford World Rally Team secured Ford's second manufacturers' title with Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen. Ford successfully defended the manufacturers' world championship in 2007. Ford is the only manufacturer to score points in 92 consecutive races since the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally. In March 1951, Henri Loos and Henri Berney broke the Algiers-Cape Town Rally cross-Africa record with a 1950 Ford V8.
Ford has competed in rallycross with the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus. Tanner Foust won the Global RallyCross Championship in 2011 and 2012. Toomas Heikkinen won in 2013, and Joni Wiman in 2014.
Ford sports cars have been prominent in racing since 1964. The Ford GT40 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969), making it the only American car to win overall at the event. Ford also won four World Sportscar Championship titles with the GT40. Matech GT Racing, in collaboration with Ford Racing, won the Teams title in the 2008 FIA GT3 European Championship with the Ford GT.
The Ford Mustang has been a successful Ford sports car. Jerry Titus won the 1965 SCCA Pro B National Championship with a Mustang, and the model earned Ford the SCCA Trans-Am Championship in 1966 and 1967. Ford won Trans-Am again in 1970 with Parnelli Jones and George Follmer. Ford took the 1985 and 1986 IMSA GTO Championship with Mustangs driven by John Jones and Scott Pruett, and another Trans-Am championship in 1989 with Dorsey Schroeder. Ford dominated Trans-Am in the 1990s with Tommy Kendall winning championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1997, and Paul Gentilozzi adding a title in 1999. In 2005, the Ford Mustang FR500C won the Rolex Koni Challenge Series championship. In 2007, Ford won the GT4 European Championship. In 2008, Ford won the Koni Challenge Series manufacturers championship, and HyperSport drivers Joe Foster and Steve Maxwell won the drivers title in a Mustang GT.
Ford has campaigned touring cars such as the Mustang, Focus, Falcon, Contour/Mondeo, and Sierra Cosworth. Mondeo drivers finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 2000 British Touring Car Championship, and Falcon drivers placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series.
In drag racing, John Force Racing drivers John Force, Tony Pedregon, and Robert Hight have won several NHRA titles in Ford Mustang Funny Cars.
Ford has entered drifting with the Mustang, notably Vaughn Gittin, Jr.'s 750 hp Falken Tires Mustang.
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