| The Ford Motor Company has been | | | | cutting 30,000 jobs. |
| manufacturing cars since the early 1900s after its | | | | Ford has been one of the many motor vehicle |
| founder, Henry Ford, incorporated the company | | | | manufacturing companies that has moved into |
| on June 16, 1903. Ford is the fourth largest vehicle | | | | producing hybrid cars and fuel flexible cars. Their |
| maker in the world based on worldwide sales. | | | | fuel flexible cars are the Ford F-150, the Crown |
| They trail Toyota, General Motors and | | | | Victoria, the Focus, the Taurus, the Ranger, the |
| Volkswagon. The company is located in Dearborn, | | | | Explorer, the Mercury Grand Marquis, and the |
| Michigan just outside of Detroit. Aside from their | | | | Lincoln Town Car. Their hybrid vehicles have been |
| brands of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, Ford also has | | | | produced every couple of years from 2004 to |
| international models in Sweden called Volvo and | | | | 2009. In 2004 the company released its Ford |
| Mazda of Japan. They were once a part owner of | | | | Escape Hybrid. In 2006 the company released its |
| Aston Martin in England. They sold their part | | | | Mercury Mariner Hybrid, in 2008 the company |
| ownerships of Jaguar and Land Rover to TaTa in | | | | released its Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid and |
| India in March of 2008. | | | | in 2009 it released the 2009 Ford Edge/Lincoln |
| Ford is the third largest manufacturer in the | | | | MKX Hybrid. |
| United States in terms of sales behind GM and | | | | Ford, aside from manufacturing vehicles for |
| Toyota. It was the first time in 56 consecutive | | | | everyday use, is also a major player in three of |
| years that Ford had fallen from the number two | | | | NASCAR's races. They manufacture cars for the |
| largest manufacturer in the country. Henry Ford | | | | Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the |
| revolutionized the manufacturing world with his | | | | Craftsman Truck Series. Their Ford F-150 is used |
| large-scale assembly line designs and how he | | | | in the Craftsman Truck Series and the mid-size |
| treated his industrial workforce. His model for | | | | Fusion is used in the Sprint Cup Series and the |
| success became known globally as Fordism. The | | | | Nationwide Series. |
| company has stayed within the Ford family for | | | | One of the most popular and recognizable Ford |
| over 100 years. | | | | cars is their ultimate sports car; the Ford Mustang. |
| Over the past few years the Ford Motor | | | | The Mustang was first manufactured in 1964 and |
| Company has struggled to make a profit and | | | | released that same year at the New York World's |
| needed a new plan to revitalize the company. | | | | Fair. The vehicle is modeled after the Ford Falcon, |
| Company chairman Bill Ford requested a plan from | | | | one of the company's compact cars. There are |
| Mark Fields, the president of the American | | | | five generations of the Mustang, the fifth one |
| Division. The plan was released to the public in | | | | beginning in 2005 and continuing into the present. |
| 2006 and it was titled "The Way Forward." This | | | | The Mustang, not only the company's most |
| plan did consist of major layoffs across the | | | | popular car, is the company's most successful |
| company and it resulted in the consolidation of | | | | model as well. |
| production lines, the closing of 14 factories and | | | | |