In this section, we will study the history of the creation and development of well-known world brands. Let's figure out what helped great companies to become such, what is at the heart of their mission and values. What principles of success were laid down in them by the founders, etc.
I am a young entrepreneur, I have several business projects and I want these projects to grow and become no less outstanding than those companies that will understand this heading.
To do this, I decided not to invent a bicycle, but to follow in the footsteps of the greats. And we will start with the Ford Motor Company, or among the common people, Ford.
Go ahead - the slogan of the legendary Ford Motor Company brand. To get a sense of what Ford people mean by this concept, watch the short but very effective promo video below:
Ford Motor Company is the second largest car manufacturer in Europe, third in the US market and fourth in the world. The company produces models of passenger cars and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand, and also owns the Lincoln trademark.
The enterprises of the legendary American automobile company are located in 65 countries - in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Spain, China, Russia, etc.
Ford Motor employs approximately 171,000 people. The company's sales in 2012 amounted to more than $ 130 billion!
In the list of the largest public companies, according to Forbes magazine, Ford Motor Company ranks 4th in its industry, behind the top three - the German companies Volkswagen Group and Daimler (1st and 3rd places) and the Japanese Toyota Motor.
Ford Motor is one of the largest family-run companies in the world - Ford owns about 40% of the shares. The company's publicly available securities are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The cost of one share is about $ 2 (April 2013).
According to Forbes, the company's market capitalization reached over $ 51 billion in 2013!
But the history of Ford Motor is entertaining not only with financial indicators, but also with interesting facts. It was this company that first used the classic car assembly line, and this is undoubtedly the merit of its legendary founder.
In 2013, the company celebrates its 110th anniversary, and this period exceeds the life expectancy of the average person! The Ford Motor Company is a true dinosaur in the automotive industry.
What is her secret to longevity and success? Let's try to figure it out
The company is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, where it was born on July 30, 1863. As they say, where he was born, it came in handy there, in 2013 it will be 150 years since the birth of Henry Ford, and his life's work is still developing and flourishing.
Now "at the helm" of the modern automotive industry is William Ford Jr. - the great-grandson of Henry Ford, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor. In 2001, he took over the company, whose losses at that time were about $ 5 billion.
Ford Jr. was able to bring her to three years, moreover, it was he who invited Alan Mulally, a talented manager who managed to find the right strategy for the company in the 3rd millennium, to the position of president of the company.
Competitive costs, high quality, benefit to society - these are the basic principles of company management that Henry Ford bequeathed, and his descendant to this day is guided by the great-grandfather's formula of success.
I have already adopted these thoughts. For example, one of my areas of focus is training and the provision of educational and consulting services. I have a lot to work on here. I want to make sure that I have the highest quality services.
This is an issue requiring serious study. I constantly ask myself: “How can I make my services better? What is the best way to serve a customer? What else can I do to make people get more for the same price? "
In another project (online store mistersaver.ru) I also try to apply these principles. Already the very direction of energy-saving technologies was chosen by me for the fact that here it is possible to benefit society. Unfortunately, I cannot answer for the high quality of goods, since I am not a manufacturer. But I still try to reduce the risks of my clients.
For example, we have a 45-day test drive of products. During this time, the client can try the solutions we offer, and if they disappoint him, we will refund the money.
In general, when posing the above questions, you can come up with many interesting solutions. But let's get back to the Fords.
How did the history of the family business begin?
The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Michigan entrepreneurs led by 25.5% of the newly formed company. A van factory in Detroit was converted into an automobile plant.
Under the leadership of Ford, who is both vice president and chief engineer, workers assembled cars from parts supplied by other factories. In July 1903, Ford Motor Company sold its first car.
At the time, the company only assembled cars “to order,” and Ford faced a shortage of skilled workers to produce “hand-assembled” cars. He decided to standardize car parts so that even non-specialists could assemble them.
In 1908, the plant produces the Ford-T model, a reliable and inexpensive car. Ford introduces in the shops a continuous line for the assembly of "Ford-T"; thanks to conveyor lines, car production reaches a record level - a new car rolls off the conveyor every 10 seconds! Innovation at Ford Motor serves as the starting point for the development of mass production around the world.
Ford's Ford-T product is fueling America's economy - in 1909, authorities construct a mile-long concrete section on a Detroit street, beginning massive road construction.
In 2008 in Richmond, Indiana within 100 yearsanniversary car "Ford-T"The party was held" T-Party ”, which has set itself the goal of entering the Guinness Book of Records for the number of cars of this particular model that took part in it. According to rough estimates, of the 15 million cars produced by the company from 1908 to 1927, almost a hundred thousand cars have survived to this day!
Some "Ford-T" cars got to their holiday on their own - one of the "heroes of the day" ran almost 3000 km on his four wheels! Here is a museum piece for you! Such a "race" can be the envy of a modern car.
In 1999, more than 120 experts from 32 countries rightfully named the "Ford-T" the most significant car of the 20th century!
In 1919, Henry Ford and his son Edsel buy out the shares of the company from other shareholders and become the sole owners of Ford Motor. In the same year, Edsel inherits the management of the company.
In 1927, when sales of the beloved, but already obsolete "Ford-T" did not bring profit, Ford stopped production and began to create a new car. In 1927 he presented a new model "Ford-A", which favorably distinguished itself by its design and technical parameters.
With the entry of the United States into World War II, Ford Motor begins to produce jeeps and trucks for the army - the company "forgave" the pro-Nazi sympathies of its founder when in the 30s. in Germany, Ford organized the production of tracked and wheeled vehicles for the Wehrmacht.
In 1943, after the sudden death of his son, Henry Ford returned to the presidency, and in September 1945 he transferred powers to his eldest grandson, Henry Ford II.
With the death of the company's founder in 1947, an era ends for Ford Motor. But, despite the death of its legendary ideological inspirer, the company continues to actively develop
Today "Ford" is one of the most famous brands on the planet, and the famous oval logo of the company has existed for more than half a century! The Ford Motor logo has changed several times. The first logo was invented by an assistant to Henry Ford, but after a few years it was transformed, in 1906 the trademark acquired new features - the "flying" spelling of the first and last letters of the company name emphasized the rapid forward movement.
In 1907, thanks to the British representatives of the company, an oval logo appears, symbolizing the "brand of the highest standard" - economy and reliability.
In 1911, the company's emblem was finally established - the oval shape of the logo was combined with the "flying" writing. The first car with this mark on the radiator grille was the Ford-A model.
Since 1976, the Ford oval emblem with a blue background and silver lettering has been placed on all cars of the company.
In 2003, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor, the design of the famous Ford sign was slightly changed - the logo was given the features of the very first, historical, emblems.
However, in the 21st century, the company did not limit itself to redesigning the logo. The company's strategy has undergone major changes
Previously, Ford Motor was geographically divided into three structures: Ford North America, Ford Asia Pacific and Ford of Europe. Each of these divisions had its own model range; different technical solutions and designs were used for cars of regional markets.
However, President Alan Mulally, who took over Ford Motor in September 2006, announced a new strategic direction, "One Ford", that same year. A change in strategy was required in order to save the company from bankruptcy - its losses at that time amounted to about $ 17 billion.
The key idea of One Ford was that the company gradually begins to produce cars that are common to all markets - the world is becoming global and it needs global cars. An example of such a "worldwide" car is the Ford Focus III, built on a single platform.
As part of the new strategy, the company sells its luxury brands - Aston Martin, Jaguar, Volvo. During the crisis, it was necessary to make the company easier, and since 85% of its business was provided by the Ford brand, all efforts and resources are rushed to save it.
In 2010, the company produced about 45 car models; according to the president of the company, this figure is planned to be reduced to 20-25.
To unite the regional divisions of the company into "One Ford", Mulally was able to reconstruct the information division and raise its authority: for the first time in the history of Ford Motor, the director of the IT department entered the board of directors and began to report directly to the CEO.
The plant in Dearborn, Henry Ford's hometown, also survived the economic crisis. Previously, the enterprise stood idle for weeks, but competent management and the release of Ford Focus F150 pickups allowed the plant to go through difficult times without government funding.
The Dearborn plant is enormous - its area is about 220,000 m2, and from the beginning to the end of the assembly line stretches almost 7 km of conveyors, meandering through the plant like a giant roller coaster. At present, the plant assembles about 1200 cars every day, each of which has more than 3 thousand different spare parts.
Speaking of spare parts, I recall an anecdote: "In connection with the need to increase the share of Russian components in Ford Focus cars, Ford decided to increase the number of rubber mats to eight."
It seems to me that if you are guided in your work by the principle of Henry Ford - "quality is doing something right, even when no one is looking" - then there will certainly be something to offer besides the rugs)
In the 3rd millennium, Ford Motor is actively changing, its slogans are being transformed along with it. The first advertising slogan, which appeared in 1914, read "Ford: The Universal Car".
Among the most successful advertising slogans it is worth noting such as "Towards changes" and "Reliable. Made for life "
Now the slogans in North America ("Drive One") and Europe ("Feel the Difference") have been replaced by a global formula for promoting "one Ford", which sounds like "Go futher" / " Walk straight".
This call first appeared in a New Year's greetings from the head of Ford to all staff. A single slogan will now sound on all advertising materials of the company.
By the way, the team of the company is strongly motivated for an excellent result; and if Anton Chekhov was convinced that “everything should be beautiful in a person: face, clothes, soul, and thoughts”, then Ford Motor experts are convinced that everything should be fine in a car too - from fuel technology to interior design ...
To guarantee the excellent appearance of its products, the company has a special laboratory, The Visual Performance Evaluation Lab.
The laboratory has about 300 bulbs with a total power of 6 kW, with the help of which various phases of the Earth's revolution around the Sun are simulated. A reasonable question may arise - what does the luminary have to do with the development of Ford vehicles?
The fact is that the appearance of the car and its interior changes depending on the lighting and time of day; to track these changes and minimize unwanted effects (for example, reflections on the dashboard), the company conducts similar tests. You can see how the laboratory works here:
Ford Motor Company is actively involved in sporting events around the world. Its main focus in motorsport is the Formula Ford Championship, which stands out among the single-seater racing industry with its long and interesting history.
Since its inception in 1967, "Formula Ford" has become a real "forge of personnel" - it was in it that such famous racers as James Hunt, Jenson Baton, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher and others gained experience.
The company is closely associated with Formula 1 racing: it supplied engines for racing cars of this series for 4 decades, from 1967 to 2004. And the modified Ford GT model became the fastest car in the world that can travel on public roads - reaching a speed of 455.80 km / h, it was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Ford Motor has also participated in the World Rally Championship since its inception in 1973 and has its own rally team.
On my own behalf, I would like to add that I would really like to create a business that would become not only a job for me and my employees, but also an interesting hobby. It's fun to do something not only for the sake of money, but also for pleasure, adrenaline, beauty, grace, etc.
The Ford GT is a cool car. I would love to ride it. And even better, I took part in competitions. I am a gambling person. I have been involved in sports since childhood. And I love the feeling of competition and the spirit of victory!
The company boasts not only the speed characteristics of its vehicles, but also their sales volumes. In 2012, the analytical agency JATO Dynamics named the Ford Fiesta the second best-selling car in Europe.
As for the Russian market, in 2006 the Ford company becomes the sales leader among foreign brands. The history of Ford Motor in Russia dates back to 1907; after the 1917 revolution, it continued its activities on our territory.
At the end of the 20s. a contract was signed with the leadership of the USSR, according to which the Americans provided blueprints for two cars, their assistance in the construction of a car plant and training of workers. The first cars of the new plant in Nizhny Novgorod - GAZ-A and GAZ-AA - were licensed "clones" of Ford cars.
In 1996 Ford sales office opens in Moscow. A subsidiary of Ford Motor in the Russian Federation owns an automobile plant in Vsevolozhsk (Leningrad region), opened in 2002. The company carries out body welding, painting and final assembly of Ford Focus III and Ford Mondeo cars (since 2009). In a Prele 2006 this z Avod has released the one-hundred-thousandth Ford Focus.
During 2007, more than 175,000 Ford vehicles were sold in Russia, about 90,000 of which were the Focus model.
The company decided to celebrate the success of the Focus car, which is selling well not only in Russia, in a very original way - by ordering an ice sculpture of its car on a 1: 1 scale.
The mass of the ice car exceeded 6 tons, which is more than five masses of a real Ford Focus (the curb weight of the car is 1.3 tons). This transparent statue was shown at the British International Motor Show.
However, Ford Motor sees its mission not only in making big profits from sales.
The company is focused on building a strong business that makes products that improve the world. Ford Motor backs up its pretentious statement with concrete deeds. The company takes an active position in the field of environmental protection, in the field green technologies she can be called a real pioneer .
European Ford vehicles use more than 250 non-metallic components containing recycled materials, which allows 14,000 tons less waste to be sent to landfills annually.
Ford Motor develops gasoline and diesel engines that enable even more. The new Ford Mondeo, for example, is powered by a 1.8-liter diesel engine and is more fuel efficient than the same 1993 model, producing in 20% less carbon dioxide.
Already today the company offers the widest choice eco-friendly cars... Any driver knows that a vehicle and alcohol are incompatible things. However, under the hood of Ford Flexifuel and Ford C-MAX Flexifuel cars, these concepts "made friends" - after all, they run not on gasoline, but on E85 fuel, which consists of 85% alcohol biethanol.
Bioethanol is obtained from natural products such as wood waste, wheat, sugar beets, etc. from renewable raw materials... This fuel technology reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 30-80% compared to gasoline engines, so such Ford Motor models can be safely called Green cars.
Another pride of Ford Motor is the car plant in Dagenham (southeast of Great Britain) - this is the first enterprise in the world whose production facilities are wholly and completely powered by electricity from their own wind turbines.
But Ford Motor is not going to stop there. Following its motto “go ahead”, the company continues to set itself more and more new goals.
No need to get hung up on money!
From the above, we can conclude that when creating and developing a business, you cannot focus only on money and profits. The business that you develop should help people, should improve our life, make it more comfortable and safe.
I like Ford's policies regarding the environmental friendliness of the vehicles they produce and the economy in operation. On my blog you can find tons of materials on how. I myself once installed gas equipment on my car in order to spend less money on gasoline.
It is smart consumption that lies at the heart of my vision of how to achieve financial freedom and independence. To increase your income, you need to make sure that income is always your expense. And the resulting difference (the remainder) must be directed to the creation of assets, the accumulation of money, in order to subsequently create a business, for example.
Thanks to Ford Motor for once again convincing me of the right path and for showing me what the right business should be.
(voices)The history of Ford is not only the history of the American, but also the entire global automotive industry. It was the Ford company that first began to produce a mass cheap car. It is the fourth in the world in terms of production volume in history. It is now third in the United States and second in Europe.
The company's annual turnover exceeds $ 150 billion. The assets are valued at $ 208 billion. The corporation has 62 factories, a network of outlets located in 30 countries. They employ over 200 thousand employees. We invite you to get acquainted with the history of Ford.
History of the creation of the company
The Ford story began with the first meeting in 1875 of 12-year-old Henry Ford with a locomotive. The future father of the automotive industry called this meeting the most important in his life, which radically influenced his choice of profession. From a young age he has been engaged in technology, works as an apprentice in a mechanical workshop, as a locomotive repairman. Spends evenings in a workshop on the parent's farm.
Henry Ford as a child
First car
In 1884, Henry took a job in one of the Detroit workshops. Here, in practice, he got acquainted with the Otto model gas engine, known at that time.
Soon, Henry returns to his native village, gets married. His father gave him a large plot of land, where young Ford built a house and set up a first-class workshop for himself. In it, out of curiosity, he designed himself a motor after the model of Otto's four-stroke model, operating on lamp gas.
Four years later, he is hired as an engineer for an electrical company. Henry and his wife rent a house in Detroit. In a brick shed behind the house, he set up a workshop, which he brought with him from Springfield. In it, the inventor selflessly worked in the evenings on his two-cylinder engine.
In 1892, Henry Ford assembled his first automobile. It looked like a cart with bicycle wheels. The two-cylinder engine developed a power of about 4 horsepower. There was no steering wheel, the car was set in motion with a handle. The first car of Henry Ford received from the inventor the simple name Ford Quadricycle (Ford Quadricycle).
Ford Quadricycle
In the spring of 1893 it was tested on rural Michigan roads. Until 1896, Ford drove it for thousands of miles, then sold it for $ 200 to an avid car enthusiast.
First experience
Meanwhile, the electrical company offered him a senior engineering position on the condition that he stop working on machines. But the young engineer was already firmly convinced of the success of his business and on August 15, 1899, he refused service in order to devote himself entirely to automobiles.
A group of entrepreneurs proposed to organize an auto company with his participation. Ford worked there for three years. During this time, he built 15 cars, modeled on his first model. But sales were poor, there was no opportunity to design new models, and Henry left the company.
Own enterprise
Ford decides to start an independent business. He rents another brick shed for his workshop and continues to experimentally build new models of cars.
Most American car buyers at the time considered speed to be their trump card. To meet the needs of the public, Henry produces two models with a 4-cylinder 80 hp engine, which at that time seemed to be a gigantic power.
One of them, the 999, as he called it, successfully proved its speed in the three-mile race. There were quickly found those willing to profitably invest in the business, and in June 1903 the Ford Automobile Society was founded. This is how the history of the creation of the company began. The founder himself got a quarter of the company, the position of director and responsible for all production. The founders collected 28 thousand dollars of money.
Henry Ford and racer Barney Oldfield in the legendary 999
Subsequently, Ford bought back the shares for the money earned and increased its stake to 59%. And in 1919, when he began to have disagreements with shareholders on economic policy, the remaining 41% was bought by his son Edzel for a solid amount of $ 75 million.
The first steps
The history of the development of Ford society began to be written with the "Model A". It had an 8 hp twin-cylinder engine. and chain drive. Parts for the car were produced by partners, and the company was already engaged in assembly. Cars immediately gained a reputation for being simple and reliable machines. Already in the first year, 1 708 copies were sold and the business of the company went well.
Model "A"
In 1906, at the expense of working capital, the company built a 3-storey building, began to produce a number of parts on its own.
In the process of manufacturing and selling products, Ford came to the conclusion that the market was in dire need of a cheap mass car. Due to the simplification of the design, the streamlining of prices, the sales volumes in the years 1907-1911 increased significantly. The company has already assembled more than 100 cars a day.
The number of employees in the company has reached 4110 people, the number of cars produced is 45 thousand. The company has branches in London and Australia. Ford has already traded in many countries around the world.
The history of the Ford company has evolved according to the methods of its founder. The company's machines were designed less complex than those of competitors, the company did not use other people's capital, all profits were invested again in production, and a favorable balance made it possible to always have working capital.
Model T
According to Ford, the car should be simple and affordable. He embodied his idea in the development of the "Model T", which the company began to produce in 1908. It incorporated everything that the inventor had developed over the previous time, plus vanadium compounds in the materials.
Lizzy's tin (Model "T")
"Tin Lizzy" (Tin Lizzy), as it was nicknamed by motorists, was the first mass-produced car. In 1914, the company celebrated the release of the 10 millionth anniversary edition. The car was produced until 1928.
Conveyor
From 1913, Ford began the gradual introduction of the conveyor belt production of automobiles. The results were overwhelming. For example, the assembly time for an engine was reduced from 9.9 to 5.9 working hours.
The introduction of the Ford assembly line reduced the price of the Tin Lisa from $ 850 to $ 290. In 1914, Henry set the nation's highest minimum wage for workers at $ 5 a day.
An innovative production method at the time - an assembly line
How the lineup has changed with the development of the company
Today the concern is producing more than 70 car models. Consider the main examples of the Ford Motor Company model range.
After falling sales of Model T, Ford closed all production facilities for six months, carrying out the necessary reconstruction to switch to the new Ford A model (the prototype of the Soviet "Victory"), which has more advanced characteristics. This machine was the first to use safety glass.
1929 Model A
Once again ahead of the competition, Ford was the first to launch station wagons in 1929.
Meanwhile, competitors have mastered the production of V-6 engines. The company's shareholders offered to start production of their counterparts, but Ford insisted on developing a more advanced engine. So in April 1932 the public was presented with a new V-shaped 8-cylinder engine installed on the Model B. The engine was named flathead - in translation: "flathead". It was quite compact, quiet, and due to the small number of parts it was very reliable and easy to maintain. Only a few years later, competitors were able to organize the production of machines with a similar type of engine.
Model B 1932
When America went to war, all of the company's efforts were focused on the production of military products. The concern produced bombers, aircraft engines, tanks, anti-tank guns, trucks and jeeps, and other military equipment.
In September 1945, 82-year-old Henry Ford resigns as head of the corporation and hands over affairs to his grandson. Two years later, on April 7, 1947, he dies at his estate. At that time, his fortune was equal to $ 199 billion, adjusted for inflation.
Fairlane
In 1948, the first Ford F-Series of the full-size pickup truck series was launched. The car became the most popular pickup truck and one of the best-selling in the world. More than 34 million copies of this series have been sold.
F-100 1948
In the 1960s, Ford, in line with the sport and youth trend that reigned in America, switched to producing inexpensive sports cars. In 1964, one of the best cars of the company appeared - the Mustang, which received the name of the famous American P-51 aircraft. Equipped with a new engine and a striking and stylish design, the car was a huge success. After 1.5 years, a million copies were sold. It is still a cult car.
First generation Mustang. Read everything about Ford Mustang on the website pro-mustang.ru
Following the Mustang, the production of the Ford Transit commercial vehicle began. Since 1965, more than 6 million cars have been sold in seven generations.
1968 saw the launch of the Ford Escort, one of Ford's most successful passenger cars. For 35 years of production, almost 20 million units were sold.
Escort 1968-1973
1976 saw the release of the B-class, the FordFiesta. It is still being successfully produced in many countries around the world. Its circulation is over 13 million units in 6 generations.
Since 1998, the Ford Focus, a popular sedan, has been produced. Today the model is already in its third generation. More than 9.2 million cars were sold. The car is popular in Russia, where it has been assembled since 1999. In 2010 Focus was the best-selling foreign car in our country.
Focus 1998
Evolution of the logo
The oval badge known today did not appear on Ford cars immediately.
The history of the logo dates back to 1903. The first emblem bore the inscription "Ford Motor Co.", made in an outlandish font and framed by an oval.
Three years later, the inscription was shortened and made "flying". It was supposed to symbolize the rapid forward movement of the company. The emblem existed until 1910.
The Ford trademark was registered in the US Patent Office in 1909.
In 1912, the logo takes on a new shape - a fancy triangle with wings spread out on the sides. As conceived by the designers, the design of the emblem meant grace and reliability, and with them - speed and lightness.
The prototype of the current badge appeared in 1927 - a blue oval and Ford lettering on the inside. Until the 70s, it was not installed on all cars of the brand.
Since 1976, an oval with a blue background and the familiar silver lettering has been placed on the radiator and tailgate of all cars produced by the corporation.
In 2003, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the corporation, the subtle features of the original emblems were added to the logo. The iconic oval badge remains easily recognizable and represents the high quality and reliability of the famous brand.
"The color of the car can be any, provided that it is black.".
There is an opinion that this phrase about the black color was mentioned by him for a reason. All T models were in the same color. Ford only decided to paint them black because paint that color was the cheapest.
To the journalist's question: "What car do you think is the best?", The great designer replied:
"The best car is a new car!"
“I never say, 'I need you to do this.' I say, "I wonder if you can do it."
"More often than not, people give up than fail."
"There are only two incentives for people to work: the thirst for wages and the fear of losing them."
The current state of the company and its prospects
The corporation continues to be one of the world's leading car manufacturers. In addition to Ford branded cars, trucks and buses, which are sold worldwide, the group's portfolio includes the brands Lincoln and Troller (Brazil). He also owns shares in Kia Motors Corporation and Mazda Motor Corporation.
In the early 2000s, the company's crisis was significant. However, after Alan Mulally took over the company, the giant automaker was once again profitable. The restructuring was carried out, the transition to a new strategy of the corporation for the production of cars, common for all markets, is underway.
Alan Mulally
Financial position
At the end of 2017, Ford's net profit increased by 65% and reached $ 7.6 billion, revenue increased by 3% and amounted to almost $ 157 billion. Profit for the last quarter amounted to $ 2.4 billion, a year earlier there were losses.
According to forecasts of American specialists, the company's profits are expected to decline in 2018. Revenue is forecast at $ 142 billion.
In Russia, there is an increase in purchases on credit of crossovers and SUVs, especially the Ford Explorer and Ford Kuga. In 2017, their share in the company's sales increased to 31%, which provided the JV Ford Sollers, which represents Ford's interests in Russia, with a 16% increase in sales. In 2017, Ford commercial vehicles were sold 68% more than last year.
Explorer
The company expects further growth in SUV sales. It is planned to increase production at the enterprises of Tatarstan with the simultaneous updating of some models. The company has high hopes for strengthening its position in the light commercial vehicle segment.
Plans
This year the concern plans to present 23 new models on the international market. In general, the company has defined a strategy to reduce
the number of passenger car models. The main focus will be on the development of new trucks and SUVs.
The mission of the corporation is to constantly improve the company's products to meet the needs of our customers, to enable the company to flourish and to provide profit to its shareholders and owners.
About thirty years ago, the famous American manager Lee Iacocca said that by the beginning of the 21st century only a few players will remain on the global automotive market. The ex-president of Chrysler and Ford saw through and through the trends in the further development of the auto industry, so it is not surprising that his predictions are confirmed.
The world's largest auto concerns and alliances
At first glance, it might seem like there are many independent car makers in the world, but in reality, most car companies belong to various groups and alliances.
Thus, Lee Iacocca looked into the water, and today there are actually only a few car manufacturers left in the world, having divided the entire world car market among themselves.
What brands belong to Ford
Interestingly, the companies he headed - Chrysler and Ford - the leaders of the American car industry, suffered the most serious losses during the economic crisis. And they had never been in such serious trouble before. Chrysler and General Motors went bankrupt, and only a miracle saved Ford. But for this miracle, the company had to pay too high a price, because as a result, Ford lost its premium Premiere Automotive Group, which included Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar. Moreover, Ford lost Aston Martin, the British supercar manufacturer, a controlling stake in Mazda and liquidated the Mercury brand. And today only two brands remain from the huge empire - Lincoln and Ford itself.
What brands belong to General Motors
General Motors suffered equally serious losses. The American company lost Saturn, Hummer, SAAB, but its bankruptcy still did not prevent it from defending the Opel and Daewoo brands. Today, General Motors has brands such as Vauxhall, Holden, GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick. In addition, the Americans own the Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces the Chevrolet Niva.
Carmaker Fiat and Chrysler
And the American concern Chrysler now acts as a strategic partner of Fiat, which has gathered under its wing such brands as Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
In Europe, things are a little different than in the United States. Here the crisis has also made its own adjustments, but the position of the monsters of the European car industry has not been shaken by this.
What brands belong to the Volkswagen group
Volkswagen is still accumulating brands. After buying Porsche in 2009, the Volkswagen Group has nine brands - Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, Audi, truck manufacturer Scania and VW itself. There is information that Suzuki will soon be included in this list, 20 percent of which is already owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Brands owned by Daimler AG and BMW Group
As for the other two "Germans" - BMW and Daimler AG, they cannot boast of such an abundance of brands. Under the wing of Daimler AG, there are Smart, Maybach and Mercedes brands, and the history of BMW includes the Mini and Rolls-Royce companies.
Renault and Nissan Automotive Alliance
Among the world's largest automakers, one cannot fail to mention the Renault-Nissan alliance, which owns brands such as Samsung, Infiniti, Nissan, Dacia and Renault. In addition, Renault owns 25 percent of AvtoVAZ shares, so Lada is also not an independent brand from the French-Japanese alliance.
Another major French car manufacturer, PSA, owns Peugeot and Citroen.
Japanese carmaker Toyota
And among Japanese automakers, only Toyota, which owns Subaru, Daihatsu, Scion and Lexus, can boast of a "collection" of brands. Also in the Toyota Motor is the truck manufacturer Hino.
Who Owns Honda
Honda's accomplishments are more modest. Apart from the motorcycle department and the premium Acura brand, the Japanese have nothing else.
Successful auto alliance Hyundai-Kia
In recent years, the Hyundai-Kia alliance has been successfully breaking through to the list of leaders in the global automotive industry. Today it only produces cars under the Kia and Hyundai brands, but Koreans are already seriously engaged in creating a premium brand that could be called Genesis.
Among the acquisitions and mergers in recent years, we should mention the transfer of Volvo brand under the wing of the Chinese Geely, as well as the acquisition of the British premium brands Land Rover and Jaguar by the Indian company Tata. And even the most curious case is the purchase of the famous Swedish brand SAAB by the tiny Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.
The once powerful British auto industry has made a long life. All prominent British car manufacturers have long since lost their independence. Their example was followed by small English firms, which passed to foreign owners. In particular, the legendary Lotus today belongs to the Proton company (Malaysia), and the Chinese SAIC bought MG. By the way, the same SAIC previously sold the Korean SsangYong Motor to the Indian Mahindra & Mahindra.
All these strategic partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions once again proved Lee Iacocchi's right. Solitary firms in the modern world are no longer able to survive. Yes, there are exceptions, like the Japanese Mitsuoka, the English Morgan or the Malaysian Proton. But these companies are independent only in the sense that absolutely nothing depends on them.
And in order to have annual sales of hundreds of thousands of cars, not to mention millions, one cannot do without a strong "rear". In the Renault-Nissan alliance, partners provide support to each other, and in the Volkswagen Group, mutual support is provided by the number of brands.
As for such companies as Mitsubishi and Mazda, they will face more and more difficulties in the future. While Mitsubishi can get the help of partners from PSA, Mazda will have to survive alone, which in the modern world is becoming more difficult every day ...
The next day, newspapers around the world came out with front-page obituaries. Among the thousands of polite, but standard notes and unsubscribes, an article by a Detroit tabloid, quite eloquently entitled "The Father of the Car, Dies," stood out.
Oddly enough, from a certain point of view, this was true. Of course, we know about a man named Karl Benz and his Motorwagen, quite officially recognized as the first car in history. But even if Henry Ford did not invent the car as an engineering device, he did more to popularize it than anyone else. It was thanks to him that the car from a toy for the rich turned into an object of universal passion, into a vehicle accessible to everyone. In short, in their own way, the Detroit journalists were right.
In one article, telling about Ford is as utopian an idea as trying to summarize the content of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia in a nutshell. But nevertheless, we will try to recall the main milestones of the fate and character traits of the founder of one of the largest corporations in the world, whose contribution to the development of the auto industry is absolutely impossible to overestimate.
Dreamer
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in Springfield Township (Michigan) to Irish immigrants. Having made a fortune in logging, they could afford a good house, a well-to-do economy, and considerable privately owned land. So the eldest son of William and Mary-Ligot Ford grew up well-fed and prosperous. From a young age, Henry showed an increased interest in technology. Moreover, this interest was sometimes manic in nature. The younger sisters - there were a total of 8 children in the Ford family - even hid wind-up mechanical toys from Henry, presented for Christmas. He still found them and took them apart to the cog in order to understand how everything works. Then young Samodelkin was seriously carried away for hours, managing complex mechanisms with the dexterity of a cadet dismantling an AK-47. But, in the end, the curious little boy found a more serious hobby. One fine day in July 1876, William Ford, taking his son, went on business to Detroit. On the way, a light two-seater team of father and son met a self-propelled carriage with a steam engine ...
Henry himself described the meeting as follows: “It was a huge steam boiler mounted on wheels, with a water tank and a coal carriage attached to the back. Belts went from the motor to the rear wheels, which set the entire structure in motion ... ".
Much later, in his very numerous memoirs, Ford will argue that it was this episode that became a turning point in his life - it was then that he wanted to devote himself to the creation of vehicles. Not going to postpone the matter indefinitely, at the age of 15, Ford dropped out of school and went to Detroit, which was already becoming the center of America's nascent industry. The first cavalry assault on the future "City of Motors", however, was not very successful. After briefly working in a tram car factory, Henry then took a job as an apprentice at the James Flowers & Brothers workshop. They paid mere pennies, but it did not matter - the main thing was that the young man was free to study hydrants, pumps, steam engines, lifts and other equipment, which was apparently invisible in the workshops of the company.
All this was great, of course, but Henry was hardly a step closer to fulfilling his childhood dream. In addition, he got married and for some time, together with the beautiful Clara, even returned to his father's house, but only in order to finally become disillusioned with the village lifestyle. In short, after some time, Ford again found himself in Detroit, this time finding a job in a branch of the giant empire of the electric king of America, Thomas Edison. Henry started out as a simple line keeper, but achieved impressive success in a very short time. In two years, he rose to the rank of chief engineer, and his salary doubled to $ 90 a week.
I must say that Henry did not feel a special need for banknotes and, in general, by his own admission, he got a job at Edison's firm with one goal - to understand all the intricacies of electricity. What for? To understand how the Otto ICE system, advanced for the end of the 19th century, works, the fuel mixture in which was ignited by a spark. Yes, yes, he did not forget about cars.
Henry's inquisitive mind coped with this task. And when, on Christmas Eve 1893, Ford's primitive 1-cylinder gasoline engine finally started working, the future automobile tycoon knew he was ready for the next step. Having put together a team of like-minded people, he started building his first car.
Under his guidance
The talent of the alpha leader manifested itself in Ford at a fairly young age. Since then, personal magnetism, the ability to infect others with enthusiasm and his own, sometimes even crazy ideas, have become integral features of his character. Imagine, already when he was an employee at the Edison plant, Henry was more of a manager than an engineer. One of the workers, who devoted his free time to the car project of yesterday's linemaster, said so: “Mr. Ford himself did practically nothing. He only gave instructions all the time, advised something ... ".
A coal shed next to Ford's house, which Henry converted into a workshop. It was here that his first car, the Quadricycle, was born. By the way, when the car was ready, it turned out that it did not go through the doors. I had to expand the opening with a pick and crowbar
One way or another, in the summer of 1896, the first car was ready. Oddly enough, the Quadricycle, as Ford himself later christened the car, turned out to be a fully functional copy. 2-cylinder, 4-stroke 4 hp engine using a belt drive, he accelerated the car to 30 km / h. On it, the entire Ford family, including Clara and son Edsel, went out of town for walks, surprising the neighbors and frightening the horses.
But the Quadricycle made an even greater impression on Ford's immediate superior. Cars were still a novelty at that time, which is why the director of the Detroit branch of the Edison Illuminating Company invited Henry to a status party, where Thomas Alva Edison himself was present. In the midst of a dinner party, America's greatest inventor was introduced to "a young engineer from Detroit who built a self-propelled carriage himself."
Edison immediately invited Ford to his table and, with undisguised curiosity, began to question the young man about the design of the Quadricycle. Not at all shy, Henry answered in detail all the questions of the creator of the light bulb and even sketched a schematic diagram of the operation of the internal combustion engine on the back of the menu.
“Young man, you are just great! - looks like Edison was really impressed. - I believe that the future belongs to such gasoline engines. Hold on to your idea. This is your chance! "
Henry took the words of the idol of his youth literally. First of all, he resigned from the Detroit Illuminating Company, abandoning a two-fold increase in salary and a managerial position, and after a few months Ford settled in the chair of the chief designer of the Detroit Automobile Company, the first automobile company in the city. But, as often happens, the starting pancake came out lumpy.
It so happened that Henry contracted a virus, which in modern parlance is called star fever. Lavish praise from Edison himself, the boundless trust of influential investors, multiplied by his own hypertrophied ego, played a cruel joke. Ford felt like a technical genius with the manners of a free artist, they say, I do what I want. He was very inappropriately carried away by car racing and plunged headlong into the construction of sports models. Meanwhile, primitive trucks only occasionally left the gates of the Detroit Automobile Company, each of which brought the company one loss. The patience of investors proved to be limited, and after several warnings that had no effect, Henry had to vacate the cabinet. Just think! Having quarreled with influential businessmen in the smoke, he immediately frowned upon new ones, knocking out funds for the development of a racing car. But this happiness did not last long. Soon, Henry will ruin relations with his next business partners, and he has never been distinguished by his docile nature.
Today it's hard to believe, but at the beginning of the 20th century, there was probably no more controversial figure in Detroit's business circles than Ford. Better known for his obnoxious personality than his engineering genius, Henry, or rather his name alone, scared off investors and former associates. The man who, at the dawn of the new century, would predict the fate of the greatest industrialist of the era for Ford, would simply be ridiculed. It seemed that this arrogant upstart would definitely fail.
And in fact, the money for the next project was knocked out literally by a miracle. With great difficulty, Henry found a common language with coal magnate Alexander Malcolmson, a good acquaintance from the time he worked for Edison. Malcolmson funded the development of a new model, and on June 16, 1903, the new Ford Motor Company was born.
Everyone, and first of all Henry himself, understood that there might not be another similar chance to declare himself. Fortunately, fortune finally smiled at the obstinate descendant of Irish immigrants.
King of the hill
In fact, the production of the first serial Ford - Model A began in early June, that is, even a little earlier than the date of the official registration of the company. A dozen workers in a rented workshop on Mack Avenue slowly assembled simple 2-seater runabouts with a 2-cylinder 8 hp engine. At first, they worked "for the warehouse". The company received its first order only on July 15 - a certain Mr. Pfennig, a dentist from Chicago, opted for a model with an optional top for $ 850. Then the second order came, followed by the third ... By the end of the year, the company will sell 215 cars, and the shareholders will receive their first dividends in November 1903 - just five months after the official registration of the Ford Motor Company! Further more. By the beginning of 1904, the staff of assembly workers will have increased more than tenfold, and the total number of cars produced in the first one and a half years of the company's existence will reach 1,700 pieces.
It was an absolute success. Ford finally made his childhood dream come true - he produced cars, proving to skeptics that he can not only scandal and quarrel. However, until now, his career has been no different from that of hundreds of other relatively successful automobile manufacturers in the early 20th century. But the fact of the matter is that Henry looked much further than his colleagues. First, he had little faith in the popular theory that making expensive cars more profitable. On the contrary, Henry had no doubt that the fastest way to success was mass production of inexpensive models.
Contrary to popular belief, the first mass Ford was not the legendary T, but the Model N that debuted two years earlier. In fact, it was an experiment car. The most simplified, if not to say, a Spartan car with a 15-horsepower engine cost only $ 500. Result? All 8500 copies produced in 1906 sold out instantly, making Ford Motor the largest US automaker.
Once convinced that the concept of the cheapest car possible worked, Henry and his engineering team pushed forward work on a model that, without any exaggeration, was destined to change the lives of millions of people.
The famous popularity of the Ford N was brought only by its extremely low price. The car itself, frankly speaking, turned out to be unimportant: with a low-power engine, only a 2-seater cabin, a weak frame, which lacked rigidity and endurance, which, among other things, affected the disgusting smoothness of the ride. However, for the more than modest price tag "enke" was forgiven for a bunch of shortcomings. As the saying goes, it's better to drive badly than to walk well.
And Henry was right. If people are willing to buy a not-so-good, but cheap car, then what will happen if we offer the market a car that is as affordable as the Model N, but devoid of all its drawbacks?
This is how the Ford T was born. Sometimes this legendary car is called technically unremarkable, but this is not entirely true. Of course, the Teshka did not impress with its design, super-powerful motor or a scattering of revolutionary engineering solutions. But its design was thought out down to the smallest details - from a reinforced vanadium alloy frame to an engine that digested both gasoline and kerosene, and even alcohol. In short, it was the world's first high-quality budget car - consider the great-great-great-grandfather of today's Logan.
« Teshka ”was cheap in price, but not in performance. Henry added another important ingredient to the thoughtful design to the smallest detail - a high, or rather the highest, highest possible level of quality at that time. And this concerned not only the assembly process itself - at his enterprise this was implied by itself. Another thing is that the representatives of the suppliers of components, who worked with Ford, were hysterical from the super-strict requirements for the quality of parts, assemblies and mechanisms intended for the Model T. Tolerances for some positions reached 4 mm - and this, I recall, at the beginning century! On the other hand, the suppliers who worked for Ford received just as much time as they demanded to develop and fulfill the order, and they were paid for their services at the highest level.
In the first incomplete year, about 10 thousand "Teshek" were shipped to customers. In 1911, almost 70 thousand people became the owners of the car, and a year later this figure doubled! Such popularity even Ford could not have dreamed of in the most rosy dreams. The very same "Teshka" very quickly from just a good car turned into a social phenomenon.
The art of releasing
In 1908, its debut for itself, the Ford T was rightfully considered the most perfect budget car in the world, but time passed, and the design of the model remained almost unchanged. In fact, for 19 (!) Years on the assembly line, all the innovations that have touched the "Tin Lizzie" can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In 1915, electric headlights appeared on the car, in January 1919, an electric starter, and with it the dashboard, which consisted of only one ammeter, and six years later, pneumatic tires were finally installed on the Teshka. Everything else is nothing at all.
But why? After all, Ford, with all the desire, cannot be called a tyrant or an enemy of technical progress. Of course no. It's just that Henry's real passion has always been production efficiency - he worshiped this deity all his life, he readily brought everything to his altar, including friendship.
After all, what is production efficiency? In a nutshell - the largest number of products produced per unit of labor. Well, Henry was never happy with this ratio. What would any other successful manufacturer, preoccupied with expanding production, do? Most likely, I would have built another plant, and then another ... This approach hated Henry - he sincerely believed that he could find another way to produce more, even when the production capacity seemed to be exhausted. And, as usual, he was right.
What did Ford's inquiring mind not invent. For example, workers at an assembly site were divided into teams, each of which performed a certain sequence of operations, but not on one, but on several machines at once. Thus, the manufacturing process was slightly accelerated. Then they realized that time could be saved by delivering the necessary components from the warehouse ahead of time. So they carved out a few more minutes, and gradually, step by step, the rate of production increased.
In addition, Ford introduced an atmosphere of constant creative competition at the plant, when each employee could and even had to come up with his own idea of optimizing the production process. What is typical - they listened to every little thing. Workers whose ideas caught on received generous rewards. As a matter of fact, the assembly line also became a direct consequence of such rationalization proposals.
It is believed that Henry's assistants came up with the idea for a car assembly line during a visit to Swift and Co.'s Chicago slaughterhouse. In the shops of the meat-packing plant, the managers of the Ford Motor Company were shocked by the ominous and mesmerizing picture at the same time. The carcasses suspended on chains moved from post to post, where butchers with cleavers at the ready chopped off pieces, not wasting time on transitions from one workplace to another and practically without lowering their knives. The efficiency of the mechanized pig butchering process amazed automotive engineers.
They decided to conduct a similar experiment in the shops of the new "Ford" plant in Highland Park. The assembly of the magneto - a popular ignition system at the time - was split into two stages using a conveyor belt. Happened! The assembly time of the finished part has been reduced by a third from 20 minutes (in man-hours). Gradually, other operations began to be transferred to the conveyor, at first simpler, later more complicated. The turn came to the engine, and to the gearbox, and to the suspension. Finally, in August 1913, the most complex operation was automated - the so-called "wedding" of the chassis and body. Perhaps this day can be considered the birth date of the automobile conveyor.
The effectiveness of the new methods of work was unparalleled. The chassis assembly time has been reduced from 12.5 hours to 93 minutes! But, of course, new technologies were not introduced for the sake of records. Most importantly, since 1913, the plant's productivity has doubled every year, and the price of the Ford T has steadily declined, eventually dropping to $ 260! At current prices, it is only $ 3200.
The automobile assembly line is not the only gift Henry gave to the civilized world. Among other brilliant ideas of the thought giant and the father of automotive industrialization, for example, market-record salaries for their own workers, which not only increased staff loyalty, and at the same time labor efficiency, but also spurred sales. After all, the wealthy laborers became buyers of cars, which they themselves produced.
Ford not only applied the principles of car production that are still relevant to this day, he also came up with very effective sales tools. Say, in 1914, in order to spur demand, Henry publicly promised every customer a $ 50 discount. More than generous considering the car's base price was only $ 500 at the time. What is the genius of the action? So the money was returned to buyers only on condition that Ford sold at least 300 thousand cars by the end of the calendar year. Sales that year were 308,213 cars, and Henry was happy to keep his promise. In any case, he earned more than he spent. "Every time I lower the price by $ 1, I get a thousand new customers!" - laughing, said Ford.
At the beginning of the century, Henry realized that one of the indispensable conditions for effective mass production is the production of his own auto components. And by 1920, the company, for example, was producing not only wooden frames for bodies, but also planted forest plantations for future harvesting! Ford realized earlier than others that the key to worldwide popularity was the production of cars in different countries and continents. The first overseas subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company opened in Canada back in 1904. By the time the production of the Model T began, the company's representative offices had appeared in Paris and London, and in 1911, a plant in Manchester, the first assembly plant of the Blue Oval in Europe, began to operate.
His quirks
Wealth was never the goal of Ford, in the end he was born into a wealthy family, but it turned out that the money itself was chasing Henry. Even before the release of the Model T, he was considered more than a successful businessman, but "Tin Lizzie" made him a millionaire overnight. Rather, a multimillionaire. At the same time, having all the possibilities, he did not lead a riotous, luxurious lifestyle, so distinguishing people who quickly amassed capital. Of course, Ford was not known as a hermit and, by and large, did not deny himself anything, but he preferred to spend money on anything except entertainment.
It is difficult to say how much Henry cost in a litigation with a certain George Selden, an inventor and lawyer known primarily for his patent on ... a car. Back in the late 19th century, this American filed a patent application for a self-propelled vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Moreover, Selden, experienced in matters of law, turned the matter so that everyone who later intended to produce cars in the United States had to pay him patent royalties. And everyone paid until Ford said, "Enough!"
Henry, like no one else, could afford translations for the Selden patent, but his very nature hated the idea that some scoundrel was making a profit from an inherently false patent. No one believed that the grasping and stubborn Selden could be overcome, but Ford turned out to be even more grasping and stubborn. On January 10, 1911, after lengthy and bitter litigation, the controversial patent expired.
It was even more costly for Henry and perhaps his most unsuccessful endeavor. In the midst of World War I, Ford, who had a reputation for being a staunch pacifist all his life, paid for the freight of a huge ocean liner. On board, he with a group of diplomats and cultural figures went to Europe in order to try to convince the warring parties to lay down their arms. Needless to say that the expedition failed, and after that, only the lazy did not laugh at Henry's naivety ?! But no matter how primitive his act seemed, Ford's thoughts were pure and noble.
Again, with the best of intentions, he went down in history as one of the most implacable union fighters. And this position of Henry is quite easy to understand and share. He literally created a system from scratch in which workers and managers had the opportunity to earn good money if they were completely devoted to their work. Ford was convinced that a good worker, as well as a sensible manager, did not need a union advocate at all. Unsurprisingly, Henry found himself at the forefront of the anti-union movement in the 1930s.
The automobile giant fought a new scourge with very specific methods. Henry hired Navy and boxer Harry Bennett as the chief of Homeland Security. The two-meter brute, whom Ford had once rescued from prison, was pathologically loyal to his boss and did not hesitate to carry out all his orders, including orders of a very dubious nature. It is not surprising that there were no problems with labor discipline at the Blue Oval factories, and those that did arise were suppressed in the most decisive way. As the saying goes, a fist and a kind word convince better than just a kind word. Moreover, attempts by union leaders to get Ford to sign a collective bargaining agreement, which by the mid-1930s had been approved by all other American automakers, including General Motors and Chrysler, also came to nothing.
In the end, what should have happened did happen. However, it was not the arguments of reason, the advice of colleagues or, God forbid, public opinion that forced Ford to sign the unfortunate document. No no and one more time no! Henry, who had no doubts about the correctness of his own decisions, was ready to split the company into small branches and start the sale of assets rather than follow the lead of people whose ideals he despised all his life. But his wife intervened. Clara threatened her husband with divorce if he did not preserve the integrity of the company and did everything to ensure that the Ford Motor Company would forever remain the family estate of Fords. It was only then that Henry, reluctantly, signed an agreement with the hated trade unions ...
And what are his very dubious (and to put it mildly) anti-Semitic views worth ?! Not to mention the fact that it was Ford who turned out to be the only American whom Hitler mentions, and mentions in enthusiastic terms in "Mein Kampf"!
But who are we to condemn the greatest auto industrialist of the 20th century? In any case, the righteous in the world of big business simply do not exist, and besides, Ford has already suffered hard from fate. He survived his only son - Edsel died of cancer back in 1943, and by that time he had no friends left for a long time. Who knows, maybe this is the price that the ingenious auto industrialist had to pay for fabulous wealth and worldwide fame?
Danila Mikhailov
Before buying a car brand that they like, each buyer will certainly be faced with the question of which manufacturer's car to choose. After all, as you know, if a car begins to be in great demand in the world, the rights to its production are bought by manufacturers from other countries. This happens in Russia, "Reno Logan", "Toyota Camry", "Ford Focus", "", etc. are examples of this. But now our conversation will focus on a middle-class car with a rich set of "Ford Focus", which can be found in three types of assembly in the car markets of the Russian Federation:
European;
- American;
- Russian.
To begin with, let's start with the fact that many people, as soon as they learn that a Russian-assembled car, immediately turn away and go to look at any other car produced abroad. This is understandable, after all, in almost all the life of the Soviet car industry nothing worthwhile has been done that could be at least equal to a foreign car twenty years older than our car. But do not jump to conclusions about any car, even our assembly, because each has its own pros and cons! As for the Russian-assembled car, there are not much more minuses than its European and American counterparts. On the contrary, the Russian "Ford Focus" is more adapted to our driving conditions, and sitting behind the wheel of this car, you will feel like in a spaceship from the comfort and abundance of electronics. Outwardly, they almost do not differ from each other except for the headlights, but the design differences are greater, spare parts from the Russian "Ford Focus" will not be able to fit a foreigner. And now in more detail about the differences between them:
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Tire shop | 2840 R. | |
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Tire shop | 3460 R. | |
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Auchan | 1119 R. | |
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city-tuning | 2005 R. | |
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The Russian "Ford Focus", in comparison with its relatives, has very good, high-quality brakes, and therefore, at high speed, it starts to slow down with its nose, as it were. This raises the fear of damaging your bumper on some object on the road, it feels as if the brakes were designed by a "coward". As for its American brother, the brakes are pretty sluggish, and sometimes you have to squeeze them all the way to the floor to get good braking. But the leader in this criterion is definitely the European-assembled Ford Focus, the brakes of which were clearly made for driving on the Autobahn. They are of average sensitivity, when braking, the speed drops almost instantly, but in comparison with the Russian "Ford Focus", the European does not skid, and he does not strive to throw you through the windshield.
With regard to manageability. In this criterion, the first place is shared by the manufacturers of the USA and Europe, on whose cars, even at a speed of 190 km / h, significant swaying is imperceptible. The car follows the indicated trajectory, which cannot be said about their Russian counterpart. A Russian car already at a speed of 140 km / h makes one think about the possible consequences, since the steering wheel is made of cotton wool, and the car does not exactly follow the trajectory of movement. But on the Russian "Ford Focus" there is a fairly high ground clearance, which, unlike its foreign counterparts, makes it possible not to be afraid of every bump.
The ergonomics of the machines are excellent for all manufacturers. There are no backlashes, creaks, as is usually the case on our cars, the interior is adapted for driving at high speeds, since there is lateral support for the seats. As a result, you sit like a glove in almost any corner. The main difference at this point is in the headlights, where the Russian-assembled Ford Focus is at its best. The standard optics of its foreign counterparts are too dim and do not provide enough space for viewing, which is why you have to install xenon, but based on the fact that this is prohibited in many countries, you have to change all the optics.
As a result, we can say one thing that all these machines are approximately on the same level, each of them has its own pros and cons. But the most important common disadvantage of these cars is too thin body material. It is weakly susceptible to corrosion, but even with a minor accident, you will have to invest a lot of money in repairing your iron horse.
Good luck in choosing a car !!!
