350 Millionth Ford is World’s Best Selling Vehicle, All-New Focus; Company Sets Sights on Aggressive Global Growth
- All-new Focus built in Thailand represents milestone of 350 millionth vehicle produced
- All-new Focus is best-selling vehicle in the world through first five months of the year
- Company launching One Manufacturing plan creating efficiency with global scale and enable quick adjustments to consumer product demands around the world
- Strategy will improve quality and help deliver customers the choice of dozens of new models and vehicle updates that will make up freshest global product lineup in the industry through 2016
RAYONG, Thailand, Aug. 31, 2012 - Ford Motor Company today celebrates a significant milestone in the company's storied history with the production of its 350 millionth vehicle. The historic vehicle, an all-new global Ford Focus, the best-selling vehicle in the world, embodies the next chapter in the story of Ford – one driven by an expanding global footprint of fuel-efficient vehicles and an aggressive plan for profitable growth around the world.
"Consider, for a moment, the enormity of 350 million vehicles," said John Fleming, Ford executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. "It's equivalent to producing one vehicle every 10 seconds for 109 years; and, if placed end to end, would stretch to the moon and back – twice. It's an incredible achievement and indicative of why we're all excited about the future."
From Henry Ford to One Ford and One Manufacturing
Since its inception in 1903, Ford has led the industry with revolutions like the Model T that have helped foster the world's love for affordable mobility. In its first half century as a company, Ford grew alongside the driving public, producing its 50 millionth vehicle – a 1958 Thunderbird – in slightly more than 50 years and generating legions of loyal Ford owners along the way.
In the five decades since, Ford has produced more than 300 million global vehicles, including iconic favorites like Explorer, F-150, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion (Mondeo), Taurus and Mustang, and introduced groundbreaking technologies like the SYNC® infotainment in-car connectivity system.
“Today, in the spirit of Henry Ford’s innovative drive, the One Ford plan is now transforming modern-day Ford to be able to compete everywhere in the world with a full family of global vehicles that offer the best quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value,” said Fleming.
As part of the One Ford vision, the company’s new One Manufacturing plan is furthering that global transformation by standardizing best practices, increasing production in growing markets, and accelerating new vehicle introductions on fewer global platforms, which delivers the vehicles consumers want with quality, efficiency and profitability afforded by global scale.
By 2013, Ford’s One Manufacturing plan will generate more than 85 percent of vehicle volume off nine core platforms, while continuing new product introductions at an unprecedented rate. In the next four years, Ford will have the freshest global vehicle lineup in the world with 168 percent of the product portfolio expected to change with new or major updates through 2016.
To further increase efficiency, the One Manufacturing system also establishes standard processes greater flexibility, improved capacity utilization and greater return on investment. Advanced manufacturing techniques, flexible body shops and virtual simulations will enable flexible plants to build up to seven different models on one assembly line to quickly react to customer demands, while improving quality and eliminating legacy costs associated with new vehicle launches or changeovers.
As global automotive demand increases, Ford is planning to use this approach to expand its worldwide sales by approximately 50 percent to 8 million vehicles by mid-decade – led largely by Asia – which may account for one third or more of the company’s sales in the next few years.
Asia Pacific Africa region leads the way
As part of the One Ford plan, Asia Pacific Africa regional markets like Thailand – symbolic of Ford’s global expansion with today’s historic celebration – are leading the way for future growth and creating geographically balanced performance for Ford.
With $6.7 billion invested in the region since 2006, Ford is investing heavily and expanding aggressively to meet the needs of consumers here, who are expected to generate 60 percent of the industry’s future growth through 2020. Ford’s key investments and growth initiatives in Asia Pacific Africa include:
- Launching nine new plants – six in China, two in India and one in Thailand – with the capacity to produce 2.9 million vehicles by mid-decade
- Bringing more than 50 new vehicles and powertrains to market by mid-decade, including 15 vehicles to China by 2015, eight vehicles to India by 2015, eight vehicles to ASEAN and four vehicles to Taiwan
- Having 95 percent of the region’s volume on global platforms by mid-decade
- Doubling the number of dealerships in the region by mid-decade
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Ford Motor Company executives are joined by Ford Thailand Manufacturing employees at the company’s new $450 million facility in Rayong, Thailand, to celebrate a significant milestone in the company’s storied history – production of its 350 millionth vehicle. The historic vehicle was an all-new global Ford Focus, the best-selling vehicle in the world through the first five months of 2012.
Ford executives from left to right: John Fleming, executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs; Gary Johnson, vice president, Manufacturing, Asia Pacific and Africa; Trevor Negus, manufacturing director, Ford Thailand Manufacturing; Matt Bradley, president, Ford ASEAN, and Terry Sapsford, director, Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering, Asia Pacific and Africa.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit http://corporate.ford.com
| Contacts: | Neal McCarthy | Veemala Rethinasamy | Lee Pei Lynn | ||
| Ford ASEAN | Ford Malaysia | Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Ford | |||
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