FORD MOTORS

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (often known as Ford) is an American company that makes cars. It is named after its the man who made it, Henry Ford.

Ford's first car was made in 1908. It was called a Model T.

These car makers are also owned by Ford:

* Aston Martin
* Jaguar
* Mercury
* Land Rover
* Lincoln
* Volvo and Mazda


In 1896, Henry Ford had an idea to make a Quadricycle. It was the first "horseless carriage" that he built. It was very different from cars we drive now, and even from what he produced a few years later, but in a way it's the starting point of Ford's career as a businessman. Until the Quadricycle, Ford's tinkering had been experimental, theoretical—like the gas engine he built on his kitchen table in the 1890's, which was just an engine with nothing to power. Enoguh people liked the Quadricycle, and much could be done with the Quadricycle, that it started the beginning of Ford's business.

Ford Motor Company went into the business on June 16, 1903, when Henry Ford and 11 business helpers signed the company's beginning papers. The first Ford car, the Model A, was being sold in Detroit, Michigan a few months later. With $28,000 (around 16 000 pounds), the pioneering industrialists made what was to become one of the world's largest companies. Few places like Ford are as said to have shaped the history and development of industry and society in the 20th century as Ford Motor Company.

In 2007, Ford became the third-ranked automaker in US sales after General Motors and Toyota, falling from the second-ranked automaker slot for the first time in the previous 56 years. Ford was also the overall seventh-ranked American-based company in the 2007 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2006 of $160.1 billion. In 2007, Ford revenues increased to $173.9 billion, while producing 6.553 million automobiles and employing about 245,000 employees at around 100 plants and facilities worldwide. Also in 2007, Ford received more initial quality survey awards from J. D. Power and Associates than any other automaker, with five vehicles ranking at the top of their categories, and fourteen vehicles ranked in the top three.

Ford's overseas business encompasses only one truly global brand (Volvo of Sweden) other than the Ford brand itself, but it also owns a one-third controlling interest in Mazda of Japan and a small holding in former subsidiary Aston Martin of England. Its former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008, both companies having been through many changes of ownership in the recent past. Lincoln and Mercury are also Ford's aspirational brands in the USA, but not in the rest of the world.


The First Vehicles

Henry Ford insisted that the company's future lay in the production of affordable cars for a mass market. Beginning in 1903, the company began using the first 19 letters of the alphabet to name new cars. In 1908, the Model T was born. 19 years and 15 million Model T's later, Ford Motor Company was a giant industrial complex that spanned the globe. In 1925, Ford Motor Company acquired the Lincoln Motor Company, thus branching out into luxury cars, and in the 1930's, the Mercury division was created to establish a division centered on mid-priced cars. Ford Motor Company was growing.

The 1920s

* Model A

The 1930s

1932 Ford Model B Coup

* Model B
* Ford Rheinland
* Ford V8
* Ford Taunus

The 1950s

* Ford 12M '52 - '62
* Ford 15M '55 - '59
* Ford 17M '57 - '60

The 1960s

* Ford P3
* Ford P4
* Ford P5
* Ford P6
* Ford P7
* Ford Capri
* Ford Transit

The 1970s

* Ford Consul
* Ford Taunus
* Ford Escort
* Ford Fiesta
* Ford Granada
* Ford Capri

The 1980s


Ford RS200

* Ford Capri
* Ford Escort
* Ford Orion
* Ford RS200
* Ford Sierra
* Ford Scorpio

The 1990

* Ford Cougar
* Ford Escort
* Ford Explorer
* Ford Focus (2001 and 2002)
* Ford Galaxy (VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra)
* Ford Ka
* Ford Maverick
* Ford Mondeo
* Ford Probe
* Ford Puma
* Ford Windstar

The 2000s

* Ford Focus C-MAX
* Ford Focus ST
* Ford Fusion
* Ford StreetKa
* Ford Transit Connect
* Ford Tourneo Connect
* Ford S-MAX
* Ford Focus Cabriolet (2006)
* Ford CUV (2007, )

Jaguar Cars

Founded 1922
Founder Sir William Lyons
Headquarters Coventry, England, UK
Key people Ratan Tata, Chairman
David Smith, Acting CEO
Mike O'Driscoll, Managing Director
Industry Automotive
Products Automobile
Employees 10,000
Parent Tata Motors
Website www.jaguar.com

Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer, based at Whitley, Coventry, with two UK production plants at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham and Halewood, Merseyside. It was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool in 1922, changing to SS Cars Ltd in 1934 in Coventry, and finally becoming Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945, followed by several subsequent changes of ownership.

On March 26th 2008, Indian automaker Tata Motors reached an agreement with Ford to purchase their Jaguar & Land Rover operations; the sale is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2008. It is understood that Ford Motor Company Ltd. will not retain any shareholding in either the Jaguar or Land-Rover companies, unlike Aston Martin where on its sale a small shareholding was retained; the total sum to be paid in cash by Tata Motors is approximately US $ 2.3 billion, Ford will then contribute up to US $600 million to the Jaguar Land Rover pension plans.

Jaguar Cars holds Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Charles.

Aston Martin

Founded 1913
Founder Lionel Martin , Robert Bamford
Headquarters Flag of the United Kingdom Gaydon, Warwickshire, England
Key people Dr. Ulrich Bez CEO/Chairman ,David Richards Non-Executive Chairman
Industry Automotive
Products Automobile
Owner Investment Dar and Adeem Investment
Website www.astonmartin.com

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The company name is derived from the Aston Clinton hill climb and one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin.

From 1994 until 2007 Aston Martin was part of the Premier Automotive Group, a division of the Ford Motor Company. On 12 March 2007, it was purchased for £479 million (US$848 million) [1]by two Kuwaiti investment companies in a deal led by David Richards of Prodrive. Ford retained a US$77 million stake in Aston Martin, setting the total value of the company at US$925 million

Mercury

Founded 1939
Headquarters Dearborn, Michigan, United States
Industry Automobile
Products Luxury vehicles
Parent Ford Motor Company
Website www.mercuryvehicles.com


Mercury is an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 to market entry-level-luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick (and former Oldsmobile) brand and Chrysler's Chrysler brand. Today, all Mercury models are based on Ford platforms. The Mercury name comes from the "messenger of the gods" of Roman mythology, and during its early years, the Mercury brand was known for performance, which was briefly revived in 2003 with the Mercury Marauder.

The Mercury brand is used in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Middle East. In 1999 the Mercury brand was dropped in Canada, although the Grand Marquis was still marketed there wearing a Mercury badge through 2007

Land Rover

Founded 1948
Founder Rover
Headquarters Gaydon, England
Key people David Smith,Acting CEO
Industry Automotive
Products Automobiles
Employees 13,000
Parent Ford
Website www.landrover.com


Land Rover is an all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) manufacturer, based in Gaydon, England with two production plants at Solihull, West Midlands and Halewood, Merseyside. Originally the term Land Rover referred to one specific vehicle, a pioneering civilian all-terrain utility vehicle launched on April 30, 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show, but was later used as a brand for several distinct models, all four-wheel drive.

Starting out as part of The Rover Car Company or Rover, Land Rovers were designed and manufactured as a range of four-wheel drive vehicles under a succession of owners, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and BMW. In 2000, the marque was sold by BMW to the Ford Motor Company, becoming part of their Premier Automotive Group. Media reports stated that Jaguar and Land Rover became owned by the Indian company Tata Motors on March 26, 2008, this contradicted press releases by the Ford Motor Company and Tata Motors issued on the same day, stating that the sale was not due to be completed until the end of the second quarter of 2008.

It is understood that Ford Motor Company Ltd. will not retain any shareholding in either the Jaguar or Land-Rover companies, unlike Aston Martin where on its sale a small shareholding was retained; the total sum to be paid in cash by Tata Motors is approximately US $ 2.3 billion, Ford will then contribute up to US $600 million to the Jaguar Land Rover pension plans.

Land Rover is one of the longest lived sport utility vehicle (SUV) brands (the only brand which is older is Jeep).

Lincoln Town Car

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company
Production 1981-present
Predecessor Lincoln Continental
Successor Lincoln MKS
Class Full-size luxury car

The Lincoln Town Car is a rear-wheel drive full-size luxury sedan and serves as the flagship of Ford's Lincoln luxury car division. Often referred to as a traditional American luxury sedan, the Town Car features a V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and relatively large exterior and interior dimensions.

The Town Car is, despite recently declining sales numbers, one of the best selling American luxury cars. It also serves as America's most used limousine and chauffered car.While relatively affordable when compared to European flagship luxury sedans, the Town Car is currently the most expensive American luxury sedan (according to base MSRP) with prices ranging from $43,075 for a basic Signature Series to $56,745 for a top-of-the-line Signature L Series. The Town Car has been available featuring ballistic protection since 2003 with prices starting at $144,995.

Ford, at one time, had considered ending production on Lincoln's flagship model after the planned closing of the Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan in 2007. Ford ultimately decided to keep the model and move assembly to the St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada where the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis, which also use the Ford Panther platform, are currently built. The Town Car's manufacture resumed at its new location in late 2007.The first Canadian-built Town Car rolled off the assembly line on January 10, 2008.The Town Car is currently the largest American-made car, measuring nearly 18 feet (5.49 m) in length for a standard Town Car and 18 1/2 ft (5.64 m) for an L Edition. With the upcoming Lincoln MKS sedan, Ford has announced that the MKS will be Lincoln's new flagship sedan.

Consumer Guide cites the vehicle's strengths as comfort, materials, and ride quality, with weaknesses cited as acceleration and handling. The Town Car is one of the safest cars available on the North American market.

Volvo Cars

Founded 1927 by SKF Gustaf Larson & Assar Gabrielson
Headquarters Flag of Sweden Gothenburg, Sweden
Key people Fredrik Arp, MD (CEO of Volvo Cars Corp.)
Steve Mattin (Design Director)
Ingrid Skogsmo (Safety Centre Director)
Industry Automotive
Products Luxury Cars, Engines
Website www.volvocars.com

Volvo Cars, or Volvo Personvagnar, is a Swedish automobile maker founded in 1927 in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden.

The name Volvo, derived from the Latin for "I roll," was thought to be a good trademark for a ball bearing as well as for an automobile.

Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. It was not until 1935 when Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish stock exchange that SKF sold most of the shares in the company. Volvo Cars was owned by AB Volvo until 1999, when it was acquired by the Ford Motor Company as part of its Premier Automotive Group along with Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.

Volvo produces models ranging from SUVs, wagons, and sedans to compact executive sedans and coupes. It competes directly with manufacturers such as Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lancia, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Saab. With 2,500 dealerships worldwide in 100 markets; 60 percent of sales come from Europe, 30 percent from North America, and the other 10 percent is from the rest of the world.

Volvo's market share is shrinking in the North American market. However, Volvo increased its market share in new markets such as Russia, China and India[citation needed]. Specifically, Volvo expected sales in Russia to double and exceed 20,000 units by the end of 2007, making Russia one of the ten biggest markets for the company. Volvo already boasts the leading position in Russia's luxury car segment.

Older models were often compared to tractors[citation needed], partially because Volvo AB was and still is a manufacturer of heavy equipment, earlier Bolinder-Munktell, now Volvo Construction Equipment. Considered by some to be slow and heavy, they earned the distinction "brick"as term of endearment for the classic, block-shaped Volvo. With the more powerful turbo charged variants known as "turbobricks". More recent models have moved away from the boxy styles favored in the 1970s and 1980s and built a reputation for sporting performance. But not before the phenomenal success of factory supported Volvo 240 turbos winning both the 1985 European Touring Car Championship (ETC) & 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC). Most recently a 850 series wagon won top honors at the 1995 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

Owners are often proud of achieving prodigious mileages with one well documented 1965 Volvo P1800S having been driven over 2.6 million miles. According to some figures the average age of a Volvo being discarded is second only to Mercedes at 19.8 years. Reliability is considered better than average and in the USA Volvo dealers are listed by Forbes as one of the best among all car makers (9th)and luxury car makers (6th).