Ford Germany
 | |
 Ford-Werke plant in Cologne | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | August 18, 1925 |
| Founder | Henry Ford |
| Headquarters | , Germany |
Number of locations | Two manufacturing facilities |
Key people | |
| Products | Automobiles |
Number of employees | 28,842(2009) |
| Parent | Ford of Europe |
| Website | ford.de |
Ford-Werke GmbH[1]is a German-based car manufacturing company headquartered inMerkenich-Cologne,North Rhine-Westphalia.It is a fully-ownedsubsidiaryof AmericanFord Motor Company.It operates two large manufacturing facilities in Germany, aplant in Cologneand aplant in Saarlouis,and serves as a major hub for Ford's presence in the European markets.
Berlin origins
[edit]
The earliest presence of the Ford Motor Company in Germany was a parts operation set up in Hamburg in 1912.[citation needed][2]
At the end of 1924 theUSFord Motor Companyestablished a sales office inBerlinwhich at the start of 1925 received a permit to import 1,000 tractors. In 1920 thegovernmenthad imposed a tariff so high that it amounted to a prohibition against importing foreign automobiles, but this was reversed in October 1925. The move had evidently been anticipated by Ford, since on 18 August 1925 theFord Motor Company Aktiengesellschafthad been entered in the BerlinCompanies Register.[3]
During 1925 an assembly plant was constructed in a rented warehouse in theWesthafen (western port)district of Berlin, which was well located for receiving deliveries of kits and components via the country's canal network. On 1 April 1926 the first German assembledModel Twas produced, using imported parts.[4]The Berlin assembly operation produced 1,177 Model Ts in 1926 and a further 2,594 during 1927 which was the Model T's final year: in August 1927 Model T production in Berlin ended, and it was nearly a year until, on 20 August 1928, Ford auto-production in Berlin recommenced, now of theFord Model A.[3]
Relocation to Cologne
[edit]
In March 1929General Motorspurchased a controlling 80% holding inOpel.Henry Ford's reaction was a prompt decision to build a complete Ford auto-factory in Germany, and before the end of 1929 a site atColognemade available by the mayor of the city,Konrad Adenauer,[4]was acquired by Ford.[5]The 170,000 m2site was originally intended to support an annual production of 250,000 cars, suggesting a continuation of the spirit of boundless economic optimism that seized western industry in the months preceding the1929 Wall Street crash.Locating the plant directly beside theRhineensured that, as with Ford's other principal European manufacturing locations inManchester,Dagenhamand Berlin, there was excellent access to the water transport network. On 2 October 1930, Henry Ford, then aged 67, together with Adenauer, aged 55, laid the foundation stone for the Cologne Ford Plant: construction, which cost 12 millionmarks,progressed rapidly. The assembly operation in Berlin came to an end on 15 April 1931, and on 4 May 1931 the first Cologne-produced Ford rolled off the production line.[6]The first vehicle produced was aFord Model A based truckwhich, whether by coincidence or by design,would also be the first vehicle produced byFord's new plantatDagenham,England in October 1931. From that time, an increasing proportion of the Ford vehicles sold in Germany were also made locally, rather than being imported. The Model A was joined at Cologne in 1932 by theModel B.
Small car manufacture started in 1933 with theFord Köln,a year after its British launch as theModel Y.With 2,453 produced in 1933 alone, the Köln propelled Ford to eighth place in the German passenger car sales charts for that year,[7]but it did not have the same impact in Germany as it did in Britain, and was undercut in price by thesmallOpel.[8]
TheFord Rheinlandwas a unique model for the German market, made by fitting a four-cylinder 3285 cc engine into a Model B V-8 chassis; but most products continued to be Detroit designs albeit with local names.
TheEifelwas the German version of the 10HPmodel which was sold in Britain as theModel C.61,495 Eifels were produced by Ford Germany between 1935 and 1940, which was well over half of all the German Fords produced in the period. This enabled Ford's German sales to overtake those ofAdlerin 1938, making Ford Germany's fourth largest automaker, behindOpel,Mercedes-BenzandDKW.[7]The Eifel was joined in 1939 bythe firstof the long-runningTaunusrange.
Ford-WerkeAG laterFord-WerkeGmbH
[edit]
The company was reorganised in 1939 and changed its name toFord-Werke.[4]With the outbreak of the war, car production continued at first, and theTaunuswas made until 1942, but increasingly, military production took over.Ford-Werkebuilt both conventional trucks andMaultierhalf-tracks for the German armed forces. Most notably,Ford-Werkemanufactured the turbines used in theV-2 rockets.[9]In spite of the heavybombing of Cologne,the factory got off relatively lightly, and after the war ended, production could restart in May 1945 with truck manufacture, the US government having paid $1.1 million in consideration of bombing damage.[4]
Car manufacturing restarted in late 1948 with the Taunus.Henry Ford IIvisited the factory in 1948 during his visit to Germany when he was considering a purchase ofVolkswagen,with which he did not ultimately proceed.[4]
In 1952, anew Taunusappeared and was a great success, enabling record production figures to be reached.[citation needed]The company was now being run by Ehrhart Vitger, who spent time recruiting new dealers to replace those lost in East Germany, but the company continued to rank third in sales in Germany behind VW and Opel.[4]
Ford began to integrate the operations of its European subsidiaries in the 1960s with the launch of the 1965Ford Transitpanel van, which was a joint development between Ford of Britain andFord-Werke,however it was theFord Escortin 1968 that truly marked the end of unique models in European countries[citation needed]and followed the creation ofFord Europein 1967 from the assets of the British and German operations.
General Motorswould later follow Ford's lead in the 1970s by integrating its Opel andVauxhallsubsidiaries intoGM Europe.
Use of forced labor during World War II
[edit]During the Second World War,Ford-Werkeemployed slave laborers, although not required to do so by the Nazi regime.[10]The deployment of slave labor began beforeFord-Werkewas separated from the Ford Motor Company inDearborn, Michigan,while America had not yet entered the war.[citation needed]
Robert Hans Schmidtpresided overFord-Werkeduring the Second World War, and engaged slave labor and the illegal manufacture of munitions, including such manufacturing during the period before the U.S. entry into the war. Once the war was over, notwithstanding all his carefully publicized efforts to erase the stain of the company's past, no evidence emerged that either Henry Ford II or any other top-level Ford Motor Company executive had ever raised any moral objections to rehiring [Schmidt], who had presided over one of the company's darkest chapters.[11]However, a three-year study which was published by the Ford Motor Company in December 2001 maintained that the U.S. headquarters had no control over what happened at the GermanFord-Werkewhen the Nazi forced labour policy went into effect.[12]It was also maintained that the German subsidiary did not provide profit for the U.S. headquarters.[12]John Rintamaki,Ford´s chief of staff, would acknowledge thatFord-Werkeused forced labour, stating that "The use of forced and slave labor in Germany, including at Ford-Werke, was wrong and cannot be justified."[12]
In 1942, German soldiers swept into the city ofRostovin the Soviet Union, moving among the homes of Rostov families, forcing them to register at a labor registration center.Elsa Iwanowa,who was 16 years old at the time, and many other Russians were transported in cattle cars toWuppertalin the western part of Germany, where they were exhibited to visiting businessmen. From there Elsa Iwanowa and others were forced to become slave laborers forFord-Werke."On March 4, 1998, fifty-three years after she was liberated from the German Ford plant, Elsa Iwanowa demanded justice, filing a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Ford Motor Company."[13]In court, Ford acknowledged that Elsa Iwanowa and many others like her were "forced to endure a sad and terrible experience" atFord-Werke;Ford, however, maintained that cases like that of Elsa Iwanowa are best redressed on "a nation-to-nation, government-to-government" basis.[9]By November 1998, compensation lawsuits were filed against Ford and GM. This put both the German subsidiaries of both companies under heavy scrutiny for their roles in aiding Nazi forced labor on their production lines in territory controlled by Nazi Germany during World War II.[14]In 1999, the court dismissed Elsa Iwanowa's suit; however, a number of German companies, including GM subsidiary Opel, agreed to contribute $5.1 billion to a fund that would compensate the surviving slave laborers.[9]After being the subject of much adverse publicity, Ford, in March 2000, reversed direction, and agreed to contribute $13 million to the industry-government restitution fund for an estimated 1.2 million survivors of Nazi forced labor during World War II.[15]
Ford Motor Co. AG
[edit]Until 27 January 1950, all Ford's European operations other than in the USSR were run from Dagenham and owned byFord Motor Company Limited,Dearborn's 55% owned subsidiary. In Ford Motor Company Limited's published reports to their British shareholders, Germany and the other Ford European interests were referred to as "the associated companies".[16]These associated companies had been established in order to allow for substantial holdings by local shareholders.[note 1]On the outbreak of the Second World War, those shares in Ford Motor Company AG not belonging to German shareholders were placed under the control of the German Commissioner for dealing with enemy property.
Aston Martin Engine Plant
[edit]In October 2004, whenAston Martinwas a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford, the company set up a dedicated 12,500 square metres (135,000 sq ft) engine production plant within the Ford Niehl plant, with capacity to produce up to 5000 engines a year by 100 specially trained personnel. Like traditional Aston Martin engine production inNewport Pagnell,assembly of each unit is entrusted to a single technician from a pool of 30, with V8 and V12 variants assembled in under 20 hours. By bringing engine production back to within the company, the promise was that Aston Martin would be able to produce small runs of higher performance variants engines.[17]
Marketing
[edit]Slogans
[edit]Ford's corporatetaglineisEine Idee weiter.,meaning “A step ahead” (literally, “An idea further” ). ThisGermantagline is used in German speaking countries in Europe.
Sales and market share in Germany
[edit]| Year | Units | Market share |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 206,128 | 6.70% |
| 2011 | 230,939 | 7.31% |
| 2010 | 198,156 | 6.79% |
| 2009 | 290,620 | 7.63% |
| 2008 | 217,305 | 7.03% |
| 2007 | 213,873 | 6.79% |
| 2006 | 243,845 | 7.03% |
| 2005 | 246,814 | 7.38% |
| 2004 | 243,930 | 7.47% |
| 2003 | 235,279 | 7.27% |
Models
[edit]Current model range
[edit]The following tables list Ford production vehicles that were sold in Germany in 2023:
Passenger cars
[edit]| Focus | 
|
Small family car |
|
| Kuga | 
|
Compact crossover SUV |
|
| Puma | 
|
crossover SUV |
|
| Explorer | 
|
SUV |
|
| Explorer EV | 
|
SUV |
|
| Mustang Mach-E | 
|
SUV |
|
| Mustang | 
|
Muscle Car |
|
Light commercial vehicles
[edit]| Tourneo Connect | 
|
Panel van |
|
| Transit | 
|
Light commercial vehicle |
|
| Ranger | 
|
Pick-up truck |
|
ST models
[edit]Ford produce high-performance derivatives of their cars developed by theirFord Team RSdivision.
| Ford Focus ST | 
|
Compact car |
|
| Ford Fiesta ST | 
|
Supermini |
|
Former Ford Germany model range
[edit]This is a list of models produced by Ford Germany prior to the creation of Ford of Europe. Although the Taunus TC and MK3 Ford Cortina were related, the body work and engines were different.
- Ford Model A
- Ford Model B
- Ford Rheinland
- Ford Model Y
- Ford Köln
- Ford Eifel
- Ford Taunus G93A "Buckeltaunus"
- Ford Taunus P1
- Ford Taunus P2
- Ford Taunus P3
- Ford Taunus P4
- Ford Taunus P5
- Ford Taunus P6
- Ford P7
- Ford Taunus TC
Notes
[edit]- ^
The company (Ford Motor Company Limited of Dagenham) has been formed to acquire and carry on as a going concern the business of motor vehicle manufacturers of:
- Ford Motor Company (England) Limited, Manchester
- Henry Ford and Son Limited, Cork
It will also acquire through holding their share capitals:- Automobiles Ford S.A., Paris
- Ford Motor Company A/S, Copenhagen
- Ford Motor Company S.A.E., Barcelona
- Ford Motor Company of Belgium S.A., Antwerp
- Ford Motor Company d'Italia S.A., Trieste
- N.V. Ford Motor Company of Holland, Rotterdam
- Ford Motor Company A.B., Stockholm
- Ford Motor Company A.G., Berlin
- Ford Motor Company of Finland O/Y, Helsingfors
The new company will offer 40% of the share capital of all the Continental companies to the public in their respective countries.
The Company will also acquire the sole and exclusive rights... Ford products in the following parts of the world:- United Kingdom and Ireland the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
- The continent of Europe (excluding USSR)
- Asia Minor, Iraq, Persia, Afghanistan, Egypt and certain other parts of Africa
and the benefit of all the patents inventions, drawings, designs..... owned by the Ford Motor Company of America and Mr Henry Ford
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- Oswald, Werner (2001).Deutsche Autos 1920-1945, Band (vol) 2(in German). Motorbuch Verlag.ISBN3-613-02170-6.
- ^"Datenschutz und rechtliche Hinweise".ford.de.Retrieved10 April2018.
- ^Wilkins, Mira;Hill, Frank Ernest (27 June 2011).American Business Abroad: Ford on Six Continents.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9781107007970.Retrieved10 April2018– via Google Books.
- ^abOswald,p 411
- ^abcdefGeorgano, N.(2000).Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.London.ISBN1-57958-293-1.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Oswald,p 412
- ^Oswald,p 413
- ^abOswald,pp 112 & 531
- ^Oswald,pp 112 & 314
- ^abcWallace, Max. (2003).The American axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the rise of the Third Reich.New York: St. Martin’s Press.
- ^Baldwin, Neil (2001).Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate.New York: Public Affairs.
- ^Wallace, pp. 360-1
- ^abc"Report absolves Ford of wartime guilt".6 December 2001.Retrieved18 May2022.
- ^Wallace, p. 333
- ^Dobbs, Michael (30 November 1998)."Ford and GM Scrutinized for Alleged Nazi Collaboration".Washington Post.Retrieved16 February2022.
- ^"Ford contributes $13 million to German slave-labor fund".UPI. 29 March 2000.Retrieved18 May2022.
- ^Ford Motor Company Ltd.The Times,Monday, April 17, 1950; pg. 9; Issue 51667; col E
- ^"Aston Martin s. Com - Aston Martin Engine Plant Cologne".Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2011.Retrieved3 December2011.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Documents and clippings about Ford Germanyin the20th Century Press Archivesof theZBW
| Subsidiaries and brands |
| | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities |
| ||||||||||||
| Passenger cars | |||||||||||||
| Commercial vehicles |
| ||||||||||||
| Divisions/ marques |
| | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidiaries |
| |||||
| Joint ventures and shareholdings |
| |||||
| Facilities and products | ||||||
| People |
| |||||
| Racing teams | ||||||
| Related topics | ||||||
| Authority control databases:National |
|---|