Photo credit: courtesy

FORD

Ford is arguably the most well-known manufacturer of motor vehicles in the world. Founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, the company is also recognized as an innovator in assembly-line manufacturing and the organization of large-scale workforces. Currently, Ford employs over 180,000 at its offices and plants worldwide and maintains its company headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

From the first commercially available Ford vehicle – the Model T – all the way up to the company’s current product offerings, Ford has always striven to be a leader in the automotive industry. It operates a luxury brand, Lincoln, and owns stakes in several international vehicle manufacturers, including Mazda, Jiangling and Aston Martin, and owns the Troller and FPV companies. At one time Ford also owned Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands, however these divisions have all been sold.

Ford has produced many iconic vehicle makes. Hybrid vehicles including the Escape and the Mercury Mariner to classic vehicles such as the Explorer, the Focus, Mustang, Fusion, and the Taurus, as well as truck models the F-150, Super Duty, Transit and the Expedition SUV are all consistent sellers.

Ford’s foray into hybrid and electric vehicles came about as a result of a patent sharing agreement reached with Toyota in 2004. The company has also entered into partnerships with Southern California Edison to explore the integration of hybrid vehicles with the existing electrical grid, and with Volvo to create a series of electric power plants in the UK. Since beginning production of hybrid vehicles, Ford has manufactured about 400,000 hybrid cars, making it the second-largest builder of hybrids after Toyota.

In an effort to remain at the forefront of mass-market vehicle technology, Ford is currently researching the viability of cars and trucks powered by fuel cells, as well as internal combustion engines that use hydrogen as fuel. In 2006 Ford demonstrated a new version of its Explorer SUV, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Development of the vehicle was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, marking a new era of public-private collaboration in the promotion of energy-efficient and environmentally-minded vehicle production.

Around the world, Ford continues to invest in technology to reduce CO2 emissions from its vehicles. Several projects in Europe, notably the ECOnetic initiative, have the goal of improving the performance of existing Ford engine technology. By improving the aerodynamic structure of the Ford Fiesta and integrating a diesel-powered conventional engine, Ford has achieved a worthwhile goal: the Fiesta is now the mass-market car with the lowest emissions in Europe.