This year marks the vehicle manufacturer Ford’s 115 birthday. The company was first incorporated in June 16, 1903 by namesake, Henry. The business has come a long way through the years to create the large Ford F150 that many see driving around Costa Mesa.
On June 16. 1903, as mentioned before, this timeless company was founded.
On October 1, 1908, the company unveiled its first success — the model T. The vehicle quickly become one of the most driven cars in the world and would be perfected and innovated by the company for the next 20 years.
On October 7, 1913, the company unveiled a system that is arguably one of the most innovative systems ever seen — the assembly line. This assembly line. first introduced in the assembly plant just outside of Detroit, Michigan, significantly decreased the time it took to build an entire vehicle, and in result, decreased the cost of these vehicles.
On January 5, 1914, the company more than doubled employee salaries, starting a movement in America for better employee care.
On March 1, 1941, the company began to manufacture the earliest jeep vehicle for military use during WWII. They then temporarily stopped producing for civilian use and focused solely on providing for the military.
On January 17, 1956, the company went public with stock selling over 10 million shares. It is on record that the founder came to regret this decision.
On April 17, 1964, the company debuts the very first Mustang at the World Fair. America fell in love and 22,000 were sold that day.
On September 7, 1987, the company purchases 75% of upper-end British luxury automaker, Aston Martin Lagonda, Ltd.
On December 1, 1989, the company purchases another vehicle brand, Jaguar, for about $2.5 billion.
On March 15, 1990, the company introduces the Explorer, one of the first SUVs ever seen.
On July 1, 1992, the company purchased a third vehicle manufacturer, Mazda Motor Manufacturing.
On June 20, 1993, the company opened its first dealership in China with hopes to better compete with competitors.
On July 11, 2005, under the name of acquired vehicle brand, Mercury, the company releases the first even gas-electric hybrid SUV. The vehicle was named the Mercury Mariner.
On April 17, 2014, the company celebrated the fiftieth birthday of their iconic Mustang.
On June 19, 2014, the company made the news when they opened 88 dealerships in a single day.
Today, the company, run by Henry’s great-grandson, is worth approximately $13.07 billion, ranking it the highest-valued vehicle brand to date. The company remains family-owned to this day, ranking it as the second biggest family-owned business in the world.
That Ford Flex seen driving around Costa Mesa is much more than just a vehicle, it is 115 years of hard work and history, as are the rest of the vehicles that help to make up this 115-year-old franchise.
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