福特汽車公司(Ford Motor Company)(NYSE:F)是一間生產汽車的跨國企業,於美國密歇根州的蒂爾博(Dearborn,現公司總部所在地)由亨利·福特[Henry Ford]所創立,在1903年公司化。在其20世紀如日中天的時候,福特、通用與克萊斯勒被認為是底特律的三大汽車生產商。這三家公司統治著美國汽車市場。然而日本豐田公司的收入在2004年時開始超過福特。即使如此,福特公司依然是世界上收入排名前十的企業。
1925年,福特公司收購了林肯汽車公司(Lincoln Motor Company),從而開始打入高檔車市場。1935年,水星品牌(Mercury)在埃茲爾·福特提議下成立,主要生產中價位的的汽車。[3]
亨利·福特的孫子亨利·福特二世(Henry Ford II)在1945年至1960年期間擔任福特汽車公司Quattroporte,且在1960年至1980年期間擔任公司董事長暨執行長。雖然福特公司於1956年上市成為美國公有制企業,福特家族仍透過佔據大量B級優先股保持其在公司40%左右的控制權益,這在公有企業中是相當大的比率。
為扭轉虧損並在2008年時恢復盈利,2005下半年,董事長比爾·福特要求福特美洲區Quattroporte馬克·菲爾茲(Mark Fields)制定一套能使公司盈利能力的公司重組計劃。菲爾茲在2005年12月7日在公司董事會上推出了該計劃,並將其命名“前進之路”("The Way Forward")。該計劃內容包括:在北美地區進行裁員以及關閉大量工廠,停產一些不賺錢的車型,降低材料成本,專注研發交叉車型、混合動力車、小型車,以及鞏固原有的福特-林肯-水星三大生產線。已知即將被關閉的工廠分別位於聖路易斯、亞特蘭大,密歇根州Wixom、俄亥俄州Batavia和加拿大溫莎。其他工廠的名字目前還沒有被透露,它們都將在2012年前停止生產。計劃中指出,在北美的高達三萬名員工(福特28%的職工人數),無論是裝配工人還是管理層白領(尤其是中層管理),在六年內將都將被公司裁減。此次公司的“瘦身”行動與先前通用汽車的裁員相比有過之而無不及,亦可從中看出福特洗心革面的決心。
Initially, Ford models sold outside the U.S. were essentially versions of those sold on the home market, but later on, models specific to Europe were developed and sold. Attempts to globalize the model line have often failed, with Europe"s Ford Mondeo selling poorly in the United States, while U.S. models such as the Ford Taurus have fared poorly in Japan and Australia, even when produced in right hand drive. The small European model Ka, a hit in its home market, did not catch on in Japan, as it was not available as an automatic. The Mondeo was dropped by Ford Australia, because the segment of the market in which it competes had been in steady decline, with buyers preferring the larger local model, the Falcon. One recent exception is the Focus — The European model has sold strongly on both sides of the Atlantic.
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歐洲
Image:
Ford.cortina.red.750pix.jpg
1970 Ford Cortina Mark 2At first, Ford in Germany and the United Kingdom built different models from one another until the late 1960s, with the Ford Escort and then the Ford Capri being common to both companies. Later on, the Ford Taunus and Ford Cortina became identical, produced in left hand drive and right hand drive respectively. Rationalisation of model ranges meant that production of many models in the UK switched to elsewhere in Europe, including Belgium and Spain as well as Germany. The Ford Sierra replaced the Taunus and Cortina in 1982, drawing criticism for its radical aerodynamic styling, which was soon given nicknames such as "Jellymould" and "The Salesman"s Spaceship".
Increasingly, Ford Motor Company has looked to Ford of Europe for its "world cars," such as the Mondeo, Focus, and Fiesta, although sales of European-sourced Fords in the U.S. have been disappointing. In Asia, models from Europe are not as competitively priced as Japanese-built rivals, nor are they perceived as reliable. The Focus has been one exception to this, which has become America"s best selling compact car since its launch in 2000.
In 2001, Ford ended car production in the UK. It was the first time in more than eighty years that Ford cars had not been made in Britain, although production of the Transit van continues at the company"s Southampton facility, engines at Bridgend and Dagenham, and transmissions at Halewood. Development of European Ford is broadly split between Dunton in Essex (powertrain, Fiesta/Ka and commercial vehicles) and Cologne (body, chassis, electrical, Focus, Mondeo) in Germany. Ford also produced the Thames range of commercial vehicles although the use of this brand name was discontinued circa 1965. It owns the Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin car plants in Britain which are still operational. Ford"s Halewood Assembly Plant was converted to Jaguar production.
Elsewhere in continental Europe, Ford assembles the Mondeo range in Genk (Belgium), Fiesta in Valencia (Spain) and Cologne (Germany), Ka in Valencia and Focus in Valencia, Saarlouis (Germany) and St. Petersberg (Russia). Transit production is in Kocaeli (Turkey), Southampton (UK), and Transit Connect in Kocaeli.
Ford also owns a joint venture production plant in Turkey. Ford-Otosan, established in the 1970s, manufactures the Transit Connect compact panel van as well as the "Jumbo" and long wheelbase versions of the full-size Transit. This new production facility was set up near Kocaeli in 2002, and its opening marked the end of Transit assembly in Genk. Another joint venture plant near Setubal in Portugal, set up in collaboration with Volkswagen, assembles the Galaxy people carrier as well as its sister ship, the VW Sharan.
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亞太區
Image:Ford Falcon XR6
Turbo.jpg
Ford XR6 Turbo FalconIn Australia and New Zealand, the popular Ford Falcon is considered the typical (if not particularly economical) family car, though it is considerably larger than the Mondeo sold in Europe. Between 1960 and 1972, the Falcon was based on a U.S. Ford of that name, but since then has been entirely designed and manufactured locally. Like its General Motors rival, the Holden Commodore, the 4.0 L Falcon retains rear wheel drive. High performance variants of the Falcon running locally-built engines produce up to 390 hp. A ute (short for "utility," known in the US as pickup truck) version is also available with a similar range of drivetrains. In addition, Ford Australia sells highly-tuned Falcon sedans and utes through its performance car division, Ford Performance Vehicles. These cars produce over 400 hp and are built in small numbers to increase their value as collectors" cars.
In both Australia and New Zealand, the Commodore and Falcon outsell all other cars. In Australia they comprise over 20% of the new car market.
Ford"s presence in Asia has traditionally been much smaller. However, with the acquisition of a stake in Japanese manufacturer Mazda in 1979, Ford began selling Mazda"s Familia and Capella (also known as the 323 and 626) as the Ford Laser and Telstar. The Laser was one of the most successful models sold by Ford in Australia, and outsold the Mazda 323, despite being almost identical to it. The Laser was also built in Mexico and sold in the U.S. as the Mercury Tracer, while the 1989 American Ford Escort was based on the Laser/Mazda 323. The smaller Mazda 121 was also sold in the U.S. and Asia as the Ford Festiva.
Through its relationship with Mazda, Ford also acquired a stake in South Korean manufacturer Kia, which later built the Ford Aspire for export to the United States, but later sold the company to Hyundai. Ironically, Hyundai also manufactured the Ford Cortina until the 1980s. Ford also has a joint venture with Lio Ho in Taiwan, which assembled Ford models locally since the 1970s.
Ford came to India in 1998 with its Ford Escort model, which was later replaced by locally produced Ford Ikon in 2001. It has since added Fusion, Fiesta, Mondeo and Endeavour to its product line.
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南美洲
In South America, Ford has had to face protectionist government measures in each country, with the result that it built different models in different countries, without particular regard to rationalisation or economy of scale inherent to producing and sharing similar vehicles between the nations. In many cases, new vehicles in a country were based on those of the other manufacturers it had entered into production agreements with, or whose factories it had acquired. For example, the Corcel and Del Rey in Brazil were originally based on Renault vehicles.
In the 1980s, Ford merged its operations in Brazil and Argentina with those of Volkswagen to form a company called Autolatina, with which it shared models. Sales figures and profitability were disappointing, and Autolatina was dissolved in the 1990s. With the advent of Mercosur, the regional common market, Ford was finally able to rationalise its product line-ups in those countries. Consequently, the Ford Fiesta is only built in Brazil, and the Ford Focus only built in Argentina, with each plant exporting in large volumes to the neighbouring country. Models like the Ford Mondeo from Europe could now be imported completely built up. Ford in Brazil produces a pick-up truck version of the Fiesta, which is also produced in South Africa as the Ford Bantam in right hand drive versions.
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非洲和中東地區
In Africa and the Middle East, Ford"s market presence has traditionally been strongest in South Africa and neighbouring countries, with only trucks being sold elsewhere on the continent. Ford in South Africa began by importing kits from Canada to be assembled at its Port Elizabeth facility. Later Ford sourced its models from the UK and Australia, with local versions of the Ford Cortina including the XR6, with a 3.0 V6 engine, and a Cortina "bakkie" or pick-up, which was exported to the UK. In the mid-1980s Ford merged with a rival company, owned by Anglo American, to form the South African Motor Corporation (Samcor).
Following international condemnation of apartheid, Ford divested from South Africa in 1988, and sold its stake in Samcor, although it licensed the use of its brand name to the company. Samcor began to assemble Mazdas as well, which affected its product line-up, which saw the European Fords like the Escort and Sierra replaced by the Mazda-based Laser and Telstar. Ford bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor following the demise of apartheid in 1994, and this later became, once again, a wholly owned subsidiary, the Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. Ford now sells a local sedan version of the Fiesta (also built in India and Mexico), and the Focus and Mondeo Europe. The Falcon model from Australia was also sold in South Africa, but was dropped in 2003.
Ford"s market presence in the Middle East has traditionally been even smaller, partly due to previous Arab boycotts of companies dealing with Israel. Ford and Lincoln vehicles are currently marketed in ten countries in the region. [6] Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE are the biggest markets. [7] Ford"s distributor in Saudi Arabia announced in February 2003 that it had sold 100,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles since commencing sales in November 1986. Half of the Ford/Lincoln vehicles sold in that country were Ford Crown Victorias. [8] In 2004, Ford sold 30,000 units in the region, falling far short of General Motors" 88,852 units and Nissan Motors" 75,000 units. [9]
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另類能源汽車
Ford Escape HybridBill Ford was one of the first top industry executives to make regular use of an battery electric vehicle, a Ford Ranger EV, while the company contracted with the United States Postal Service to deliver electric postal vans based on the Ranger EV platform. Many Ford vehicles now sport an emblem — a green leaf springing from a curving road-like twig — symbolic of the new "green" commitment to preserve the environment and reduce resource consumption, while delivering safe, economical, and effective products to the motoring public. Vehicles with this emblem are generally alternative fuel or flexible-fuel vehicles. The alternative fuel vehicles, such as some versions of the Crown Victoria especially in fleet and taxi service, operate on compressed natural gas - or CNG. Some CNG vehicles have duel fuel tanks - one for gasoline, the other for CNG - the same engine can operate on either fuel via a selector switch. Flexible fuel vehicles are designed to operate automatically on a wide range of available fuel mixtures - from pure gasoline, to ethanol-gasoline blends such as E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Part of the challenge of successful marketing alternative and flexible fuel vehicles, is the general lack of establishment of sufficient infrastructure (fueling stations), which would be essential for these vehicles to be attractive to a wide range of consumers.
Ford was third to market with a hybrid car — the Ford Escape Hybrid, and the first to market with a Hybrid SUV / Crossover. The Hybrid Escape will also be the first hybrid vehicle to market with a Flexible Fuel capability to run on E85 ethanol-gasoline mixture [10]. The company is on track to selling 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010.
福特汽車公司(Ford Motor Company)(NYSE:F)是一間生產汽車的跨國企業,於美國密歇根州的蒂爾博(Dearborn,現公司總部所在地)由亨利·福特[Henry Ford]所創立,在1903年公司化。在其20世紀如日中天的時候,福特、通用與克萊斯勒被認為是底特律的三大汽車生產商。這三家公司統治著美國汽車市場。然而日本豐田公司的收入在2004年時開始超過福特。即使如此,福特公司依然是世界上收入排名前十的企業。
亨利·福特引用了大批次汽車生產以及大批次工廠員工管理的方法,更別具匠心地設計了以移動式流水線為代表的新生產序列。他對高效率、高工資、低售價的結合對當時美國製造業來說是一次翻天覆地的改革創新。這套方法因此被稱為福特製。
目錄 [隱藏]
1 公司歷史
2 旗下品牌
3 21世紀的發展(北美)
3.1 “前進之路”
4 福特中國
5 環球市場
5.1 歐洲
5.2 亞太區
5.3 南美洲
5.4 非洲和中東地區
6 另類能源汽車
7 福特賽車
8 參考資料
9 參見
10 外部連結
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公司歷史
亨利·福特 (ca. 1919)福特用來自十二位投資者的28000美金在一個原先製造馬車的工廠裡開始了他的事業。當時汽車的生產方式是以兩到三個工人為一組,從零件製造到銷售訂單都是由一組工人負責到底。因此最開始的日子裡,福特公司生產效率比較低下,每天只能生產幾部車。
1908年, 福特汽車公司開始發行福特T型車(Model T)。最早的一批T型車都是在Piquette製造車間完成裝配的,後來公司將生產部分移動到空間更大的高地公園(Highland Park)的車間來滿足市場對於T型車源源不斷的需求。在1913年公司已經發展出一套較完整的流水線和大規模生產技術。亨利·福特將原先的流水線裝配法發展成為了由機械傳送帶來運輸零件讓工人進行組裝。這個創新將原先裝配底盤所需的12個小時30分鐘的時間減少到2個小時40分鐘。值得注意的是,國內大眾普遍誤認為流水線裝配是亨利·福特發明,實際上流水線生產法最先出現在英國。在美國第一個使用流水線進行生產作業是工業家Ransom Olds而非亨利·福特。
福特生產流水線 (1913)機械傳送帶在當時並沒有立刻取得成效,而且工人的失誤率相當高,然而失誤就意味著更多的生產延誤以及更多對工人進行培訓所需的額外支出,還有就是要使用幹活較慢的工人。在1914年1月,透過將工資加倍(從2.5美金/小時到5美金/小時),縮短工作時間(每天工作8小時),並設立專門負責僱傭工人的人員後,困擾公司多年的生產效率低下的問題就迎刃而解了。員工失誤率大幅下降,公司生產力也隨之騰飛。隨著製造車子的速度越來越快,每輛車的售價也開始快速下跌。福特不斷地對他的汽車產品進行降價,由原先850美金一輛車的價錢降至360美金[2]。並首先發明瞭授權經銷商的概念與體系,讓那些經銷商來為他大量銷售這些便宜的汽車。
截至1913年底,全美國有50%的汽車都是福特公司生產的。然而至1918年底,全美國的汽車有一半都是T型車。當時絕大部分T型車的顏色都是清一色的黑色,基本沒有什麼其他顏色可供選擇。據傳亨利·福特有一句名言:“顧客可以選擇他想要的任何一種顏色,只要它是黑色。”意思就是顧客只能夠購買黑色的T型車。亨利·福特並不是對黑色有什麼特殊癖好, 其堅持黑色的真正原因在於黑色油漆乾燥得快,可以使汽車在落地後第一時間能夠被賣出去。這也算是亨利·福特追求生產效率的極端表現之一。
1919年,亨利福特的兒子埃茲爾·福特(Edsel Ford)繼承了他父親公司Quattroporte的職位,但是亨利·福特仍然可干涉公司的管理且始終具有其影響力。雖然高效率的生產使公司產品的價格一直較低,但由於公司內部不與時俱進的家長式管理以及對高階消費者市場的忽略,福特公司在美國開始逐漸失去汽車市場份額。通用汽車、克萊斯勒以及其他小型的競爭企業開始為消費者提供與T型車相比擁有更多豪華裝置的汽車。比如說通用在當時就有各種價位的車型,將高低端市場一網打盡;另一方面,經濟拮据的人也不再會直接從福特公司購買T型車,而是轉而購買二十多甚至十多美金就能買到的二手的T型車。與此同時,這些競爭者又透過實行分期付款的形式使消費者能夠在每個月只交一筆錢的情況下能買到原先支付不起的昂貴車輛。福特強烈反對這種消費方式,他認為這種消費最終將使國家經濟以及消費者陷入窘局。但福特最終還是做了讓步,並在風靡一時的T型車生產至第一千五百萬部時宣佈停產該車型,轉而生產全新的車型A型車(Model A)。
1925年,福特公司收購了林肯汽車公司(Lincoln Motor Company),從而開始打入高檔車市場。1935年,水星品牌(Mercury)在埃茲爾·福特提議下成立,主要生產中價位的的汽車。[3]
亨利·福特的孫子亨利·福特二世(Henry Ford II)在1945年至1960年期間擔任福特汽車公司Quattroporte,且在1960年至1980年期間擔任公司董事長暨執行長。雖然福特公司於1956年上市成為美國公有制企業,福特家族仍透過佔據大量B級優先股保持其在公司40%左右的控制權益,這在公有企業中是相當大的比率。
2003年時福特汽車公司渡過其100年週年紀念,其現任董事長暨執行長是亨利·福特的曾孫小威廉·克萊·福特(即比爾·福特)(William Clay Ford, Jr.)。
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旗下品牌
05款福特MustangGT當下福特汽車公司的主要品牌是福特、林肯與水星。福特曾分別在1955年及1958年推出雷鳥車型(Thunderbird)及埃茲爾(Edsel)品牌,後者在慘淡經營27個月後停產。值得一提的是福特1988年推出的默克(Merkur)亦遭遇了埃茲爾的同樣命運。
1960年福特公司攜其新車型福特獵鷹(Ford Falcon)捲土重來,又在1964年推出了日後對公司意義重大的跑車品牌——Mustang系列(Mustang)。1967年福特歐洲總部成立,3年後亞太總部成立。
福特公司的收購策略相當具有侵略性,自1979年開始至今,已先後收購了日本的馬自達(收購33.4%的股票)、英國的阿斯頓馬丁(Aston Martin)、美洲虎(Jaguar)、陸虎(Range Rover)以及瑞典的沃爾沃(汽車分支)(Volvo)。
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21世紀的發展(北美)
福特公司現任董事長比爾·福特(時代雜誌2006年1月號封面)2000年,在現任董事長比爾•福特宣佈公司將把其旗下所有輕型貨車(包括所有SUV)的平均行駛壽命在2005年底前提高25%[4]。這個訊息震驚了汽車業界,但同時也討好了在美國社會的環保論者。遺憾的是在2003年,福特又宣佈說當前競爭激烈的市場條件以及來自技術與成本方面的挑戰都使公司無法完成其既定目標。
2005年福特在其燃油效率專案上取得了重大突破,並推出了風靡一時的油電混合動力車——Ford Escape,其姐妹車水星水手()亦在急切的市場需求下於2006年比原計劃提前一年推出,同屬福特旗下的馬自達Tribute以及其他福特車型也可透過選裝而具備其油電混合的動力傳動系統。福特隨董事即再接再厲,用沃爾沃的品牌接連推出XC70以及XC90兩款SUV。2006年秋,福特宣佈不日將推出2007款Ford Edge,Lincoln MKX,Mazda CX-7三款車。這些車型都已在2006年北美國際車展展出。在研發下一代油電混合系統的同時,福特亦正在研究可由燃料電池產生動力的電子動力傳動組,並已展示了其氫氣內燃機技術。福特公司若能在世界範圍內成功推廣混合動力車與燃料電池車,將能相當有效地減少地球的空氣汙染與噪音汙染。
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“前進之路”
“北美的汽車市場正象全球其他的市場一樣發生劇變,越來越擁擠和凌亂。為了迎接這個挑戰,我們正在加緊強化福特、林肯和水星的品牌,為消費者們提供他們所需要的創新產品,並且在這樣一個全球競爭的時代創立一個使我們能夠參與競爭和贏得市場的商業結構......為了保護福特公司的遺產和我們的未來,我們將做出痛苦的犧牲。”——比爾·福特
2005年5月,福特汽車公司的債券被美國兩大信用評級機構降級,成為所謂的“垃圾股”。此次債券降級是由於福特公司對其SUV銷售盈利的依賴以及其對老化勞動力支付的昂貴的醫療保健費用。與此同時,油價的上漲使SUV的銷量降低,又要面對來自日本和南韓的競爭,使福特深陷窘境。福特現有的年生產能力是450萬輛汽車,但是2005年只銷售出320萬輛左右的汽車,這意味著福特北美地區的裝配車間生產力僅僅發揮了79%。福特在2005年的虧損高達16億美元。
為扭轉虧損並在2008年時恢復盈利,2005下半年,董事長比爾·福特要求福特美洲區Quattroporte馬克·菲爾茲(Mark Fields)制定一套能使公司盈利能力的公司重組計劃。菲爾茲在2005年12月7日在公司董事會上推出了該計劃,並將其命名“前進之路”("The Way Forward")。該計劃內容包括:在北美地區進行裁員以及關閉大量工廠,停產一些不賺錢的車型,降低材料成本,專注研發交叉車型、混合動力車、小型車,以及鞏固原有的福特-林肯-水星三大生產線。已知即將被關閉的工廠分別位於聖路易斯、亞特蘭大,密歇根州Wixom、俄亥俄州Batavia和加拿大溫莎。其他工廠的名字目前還沒有被透露,它們都將在2012年前停止生產。計劃中指出,在北美的高達三萬名員工(福特28%的職工人數),無論是裝配工人還是管理層白領(尤其是中層管理),在六年內將都將被公司裁減。此次公司的“瘦身”行動與先前通用汽車的裁員相比有過之而無不及,亦可從中看出福特洗心革面的決心。
這是福特4年來在北美地區實施的第二次重組計劃。在2002年1月的首次重組計劃中,福特關閉了5個工廠並裁減了3.5萬名員工。[5]
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福特中國
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環球市場
Initially, Ford models sold outside the U.S. were essentially versions of those sold on the home market, but later on, models specific to Europe were developed and sold. Attempts to globalize the model line have often failed, with Europe"s Ford Mondeo selling poorly in the United States, while U.S. models such as the Ford Taurus have fared poorly in Japan and Australia, even when produced in right hand drive. The small European model Ka, a hit in its home market, did not catch on in Japan, as it was not available as an automatic. The Mondeo was dropped by Ford Australia, because the segment of the market in which it competes had been in steady decline, with buyers preferring the larger local model, the Falcon. One recent exception is the Focus — The European model has sold strongly on both sides of the Atlantic.
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歐洲
Image:
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1970 Ford Cortina Mark 2At first, Ford in Germany and the United Kingdom built different models from one another until the late 1960s, with the Ford Escort and then the Ford Capri being common to both companies. Later on, the Ford Taunus and Ford Cortina became identical, produced in left hand drive and right hand drive respectively. Rationalisation of model ranges meant that production of many models in the UK switched to elsewhere in Europe, including Belgium and Spain as well as Germany. The Ford Sierra replaced the Taunus and Cortina in 1982, drawing criticism for its radical aerodynamic styling, which was soon given nicknames such as "Jellymould" and "The Salesman"s Spaceship".
Increasingly, Ford Motor Company has looked to Ford of Europe for its "world cars," such as the Mondeo, Focus, and Fiesta, although sales of European-sourced Fords in the U.S. have been disappointing. In Asia, models from Europe are not as competitively priced as Japanese-built rivals, nor are they perceived as reliable. The Focus has been one exception to this, which has become America"s best selling compact car since its launch in 2000.
In 2001, Ford ended car production in the UK. It was the first time in more than eighty years that Ford cars had not been made in Britain, although production of the Transit van continues at the company"s Southampton facility, engines at Bridgend and Dagenham, and transmissions at Halewood. Development of European Ford is broadly split between Dunton in Essex (powertrain, Fiesta/Ka and commercial vehicles) and Cologne (body, chassis, electrical, Focus, Mondeo) in Germany. Ford also produced the Thames range of commercial vehicles although the use of this brand name was discontinued circa 1965. It owns the Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin car plants in Britain which are still operational. Ford"s Halewood Assembly Plant was converted to Jaguar production.
Elsewhere in continental Europe, Ford assembles the Mondeo range in Genk (Belgium), Fiesta in Valencia (Spain) and Cologne (Germany), Ka in Valencia and Focus in Valencia, Saarlouis (Germany) and St. Petersberg (Russia). Transit production is in Kocaeli (Turkey), Southampton (UK), and Transit Connect in Kocaeli.
Ford also owns a joint venture production plant in Turkey. Ford-Otosan, established in the 1970s, manufactures the Transit Connect compact panel van as well as the "Jumbo" and long wheelbase versions of the full-size Transit. This new production facility was set up near Kocaeli in 2002, and its opening marked the end of Transit assembly in Genk. Another joint venture plant near Setubal in Portugal, set up in collaboration with Volkswagen, assembles the Galaxy people carrier as well as its sister ship, the VW Sharan.
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亞太區
Image:Ford Falcon XR6
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Ford XR6 Turbo FalconIn Australia and New Zealand, the popular Ford Falcon is considered the typical (if not particularly economical) family car, though it is considerably larger than the Mondeo sold in Europe. Between 1960 and 1972, the Falcon was based on a U.S. Ford of that name, but since then has been entirely designed and manufactured locally. Like its General Motors rival, the Holden Commodore, the 4.0 L Falcon retains rear wheel drive. High performance variants of the Falcon running locally-built engines produce up to 390 hp. A ute (short for "utility," known in the US as pickup truck) version is also available with a similar range of drivetrains. In addition, Ford Australia sells highly-tuned Falcon sedans and utes through its performance car division, Ford Performance Vehicles. These cars produce over 400 hp and are built in small numbers to increase their value as collectors" cars.
In both Australia and New Zealand, the Commodore and Falcon outsell all other cars. In Australia they comprise over 20% of the new car market.
Ford"s presence in Asia has traditionally been much smaller. However, with the acquisition of a stake in Japanese manufacturer Mazda in 1979, Ford began selling Mazda"s Familia and Capella (also known as the 323 and 626) as the Ford Laser and Telstar. The Laser was one of the most successful models sold by Ford in Australia, and outsold the Mazda 323, despite being almost identical to it. The Laser was also built in Mexico and sold in the U.S. as the Mercury Tracer, while the 1989 American Ford Escort was based on the Laser/Mazda 323. The smaller Mazda 121 was also sold in the U.S. and Asia as the Ford Festiva.
Through its relationship with Mazda, Ford also acquired a stake in South Korean manufacturer Kia, which later built the Ford Aspire for export to the United States, but later sold the company to Hyundai. Ironically, Hyundai also manufactured the Ford Cortina until the 1980s. Ford also has a joint venture with Lio Ho in Taiwan, which assembled Ford models locally since the 1970s.
Ford came to India in 1998 with its Ford Escort model, which was later replaced by locally produced Ford Ikon in 2001. It has since added Fusion, Fiesta, Mondeo and Endeavour to its product line.
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南美洲
In South America, Ford has had to face protectionist government measures in each country, with the result that it built different models in different countries, without particular regard to rationalisation or economy of scale inherent to producing and sharing similar vehicles between the nations. In many cases, new vehicles in a country were based on those of the other manufacturers it had entered into production agreements with, or whose factories it had acquired. For example, the Corcel and Del Rey in Brazil were originally based on Renault vehicles.
In the 1980s, Ford merged its operations in Brazil and Argentina with those of Volkswagen to form a company called Autolatina, with which it shared models. Sales figures and profitability were disappointing, and Autolatina was dissolved in the 1990s. With the advent of Mercosur, the regional common market, Ford was finally able to rationalise its product line-ups in those countries. Consequently, the Ford Fiesta is only built in Brazil, and the Ford Focus only built in Argentina, with each plant exporting in large volumes to the neighbouring country. Models like the Ford Mondeo from Europe could now be imported completely built up. Ford in Brazil produces a pick-up truck version of the Fiesta, which is also produced in South Africa as the Ford Bantam in right hand drive versions.
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非洲和中東地區
In Africa and the Middle East, Ford"s market presence has traditionally been strongest in South Africa and neighbouring countries, with only trucks being sold elsewhere on the continent. Ford in South Africa began by importing kits from Canada to be assembled at its Port Elizabeth facility. Later Ford sourced its models from the UK and Australia, with local versions of the Ford Cortina including the XR6, with a 3.0 V6 engine, and a Cortina "bakkie" or pick-up, which was exported to the UK. In the mid-1980s Ford merged with a rival company, owned by Anglo American, to form the South African Motor Corporation (Samcor).
Following international condemnation of apartheid, Ford divested from South Africa in 1988, and sold its stake in Samcor, although it licensed the use of its brand name to the company. Samcor began to assemble Mazdas as well, which affected its product line-up, which saw the European Fords like the Escort and Sierra replaced by the Mazda-based Laser and Telstar. Ford bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor following the demise of apartheid in 1994, and this later became, once again, a wholly owned subsidiary, the Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. Ford now sells a local sedan version of the Fiesta (also built in India and Mexico), and the Focus and Mondeo Europe. The Falcon model from Australia was also sold in South Africa, but was dropped in 2003.
Ford"s market presence in the Middle East has traditionally been even smaller, partly due to previous Arab boycotts of companies dealing with Israel. Ford and Lincoln vehicles are currently marketed in ten countries in the region. [6] Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE are the biggest markets. [7] Ford"s distributor in Saudi Arabia announced in February 2003 that it had sold 100,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles since commencing sales in November 1986. Half of the Ford/Lincoln vehicles sold in that country were Ford Crown Victorias. [8] In 2004, Ford sold 30,000 units in the region, falling far short of General Motors" 88,852 units and Nissan Motors" 75,000 units. [9]
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另類能源汽車
Ford Escape HybridBill Ford was one of the first top industry executives to make regular use of an battery electric vehicle, a Ford Ranger EV, while the company contracted with the United States Postal Service to deliver electric postal vans based on the Ranger EV platform. Many Ford vehicles now sport an emblem — a green leaf springing from a curving road-like twig — symbolic of the new "green" commitment to preserve the environment and reduce resource consumption, while delivering safe, economical, and effective products to the motoring public. Vehicles with this emblem are generally alternative fuel or flexible-fuel vehicles. The alternative fuel vehicles, such as some versions of the Crown Victoria especially in fleet and taxi service, operate on compressed natural gas - or CNG. Some CNG vehicles have duel fuel tanks - one for gasoline, the other for CNG - the same engine can operate on either fuel via a selector switch. Flexible fuel vehicles are designed to operate automatically on a wide range of available fuel mixtures - from pure gasoline, to ethanol-gasoline blends such as E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Part of the challenge of successful marketing alternative and flexible fuel vehicles, is the general lack of establishment of sufficient infrastructure (fueling stations), which would be essential for these vehicles to be attractive to a wide range of consumers.
Ford was third to market with a hybrid car — the Ford Escape Hybrid, and the first to market with a Hybrid SUV / Crossover. The Hybrid Escape will also be the first hybrid vehicle to market with a Flexible Fuel capability to run on E85 ethanol-gasoline mixture [10]. The company is on track to selling 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010.
Ford hybrids:
2004– Ford Escape Hybrid
2006– Mercury Mariner
2008– Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan
2009– Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
2009– Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX