Key Takeaways
- Ford is number 1 in vehicle production, US exports, and hourly workers employed.
- Ford is excelling with top-selling models like the F-150 and Maverick.
- Despite success, Ford faces issues with recalls, EV accidents, and quality.
Ford wants to remind you it’s still one of the big dogs on campus by informing us that the automaker is number 1 in vehicles produced, vehicles shipped from the US to other countries, and the number of hourly workers employed. All of this information comes from S&P Global Mobility, which just released reports on the automotive industry over the course of 2023. Additionally, nearly 80% of all the models the brand sells in the US are made here.
Ford
Ford is one of America’s oldest automakers and one of the oldest in the world, popularized for being the first to effectively mass produce the automobile under Henry Ford with the Ford Model T. In over 120 years, Ford has become a sales leader in a variety of segments, with popular nameplates like the Ford F-150, Transit, and Mustang.
- Founded
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June 16, 1903
- Founder
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Henry Ford
- Headquarters
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Dearborn, Michigan, USA
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
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Jim Farley
This comes just a few weeks after the Blue Oval announced its best hybrid sales month of all time, pretty big news since its first hybrid debuted in 2004. As it goes on a bit of a victory lap this year, it’s best to keep in mind the company isn’t without its faults, and it has quite a few problems to solve, be it production quality issues or BlueCruise ADAS failures.
Winner, Winner, Winner
Let’s focus on the good stuff first. Looking at the new reports, it’s easy to see the company is building off of past success given it’s nabbed the top production spot each of the past 5 years. Ford produced more than 1.8 million vehicles in the US, 130,000 more than any other manufacturer, buoyed by stellar sales of the F-150 and Maverick, with the Ford Lightning giving a beating to its EV competitors.
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“Ford is a uniquely American company. We are proud to serve our customers with vehicles that embody the best of American innovation and ingenuity.”
– Andrew Frick, Ford Blue president.
The other wins come from the 260,000 American-assembled vehicles that found their way to other countries last year and the 57,000+ hourly manufacturing employees that helped to make that happen. The company is also adding more jobs across the country in places like Michigan and the upcoming Blue Oval City in Tennessee, where hourly hiring will start in 2025.
But Unfortunately, No Chicken Dinner
While the company has a lot to be excited about, it also has a lot that still needs to be fixed. It led the country in recalls again last year, and its hands-free driving systems have been used in some high-profile crashes, leading to government investigations.
Related
Ford Using AI Tech To Get A Grip On Quality Control Issues
The automaker has been plagued with quality problems but is now relying on clever AI technology to identify issues on the production line.
The company’s EV division has also lost billions so far this year, significantly more than it did in 2023 thanks to a cooling of the EV industry. This has led to some steep discounts.
Models like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning continue to get incentives to clear them off of dealer lots. Ford is pivoting toward hybrid sales due to its success now, but it isn’t giving up on its electric future.
