Ford Motor Company Marks Century of Progress

Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary this June 16, 2003 at the Henry Ford II World Center in Dearborn, Michigan. "In terms of economic and social influence, no company had a greater impact on the lives of people around the world in the 20th century than Ford Motor Company," said Chairman and CEO Bill Ford. "We helped put the world on wheels by mass-producing simple, reliable automobiles that the average family could afford. Clearly, that’s a legacy worth celebrating."

Among the many lasting legacies of company founder Henry Ford are the widespread use of the moving assembly line that revolutionized manufacturing, the introduction of the 5$ per day wage that helped create the motivated, working middle class in the United States, and the creation of the Motel T, voted "Car of the Century" by a panel of international journalists in 1999.

Though he would not be the inventor of the very first automobile, Henry’s first complete car — the "Quadricyle" of 1896 — would get his business acumen moving in Detroit. He would form the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899 along with the mayor of Detroit, William Maybury. After a short life of just one year and a loss of $86,000 (a substantial sum in those days), Henry resigned and the company folded without producing a single car. He then decided to build a racecar that would demonstrate his expertise: the 26-horsepower Sweepstakes. After beating racing champion Alexander Winton and his 70-horsepower Bullet in a race witnessed by some eight thousand people, several spectators came forward to offer financial support. Within weeks, the Henry Ford Company was incorporated.

But disagreement between Henry and his backers on direction again made him resign. Joining forces with Tom Cooper, a bicycle-racing champion, the pair built two racecars that would defeat Winton again at Grosse Point on October 25, 1902. On June 16, 2003, Henry and eleven associates finally formed Ford Motor Company with just $28,000 in cash, tools, blueprints, patents, and faith.

For the next one hundred years, Ford would consistently populate the automotive landscape with cars like the Model A, the Lincoln Continental, the hot-selling F-Series trucks, the muscle car Mustang, the infamous Edsel, the brutal GT40 race car, the midsize Taurus, and the wildly successful Expedition and Explorer SUVs.

"If you look at our 100-year history, it’s clear that our success has always been driven by great products. Our centennial gives us an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to that heritage of outstanding products, and use it to build our future. Starting with the new 2004 F-150 and continuing with the Ford Five Hundred, Freestyle and all-new Mustang, we have some really exciting vehicles on the way and we will keep this positive momentum going," said Bill Ford.

"Our goal is to have an even greater positive impact on people’s lives in our second century than we did in our first," he added. "That’s pretty ambitious considering our accomplishments so far. But our legacy as a company, and the challenges we face as a society, make aspiring to anything less than that unacceptable."

Ford innovations in environmental stewardship and the development of safety technology continue to the present day. "The internal combustion engine is not going away any time soon," Bill Ford said. "But, for the first time in 100 years, there are potential alternatives, such as hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles that offer an opportunity to substantially increase fuel economy and reduce or eliminate emissions without sacrificing any of the other features that customers want. We are going to use innovative technologies like these to build a stronger business and a better world."

Ford Motor Company is the world’s second-largest automaker with approximately 350,000 employees and operations in more than 200 markets on six continents. Its automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, and Volvo.

While the company celebrated its 100th birthday at the Henry Ford II World Center headquarters with a star-studded concert and fireworks displays, a series of memorable events from road shows to competitions and classic car shows in more than 100 cities across the United States was also held.

In the Philippines, Ford celebrations were held at the Glorietta Activity Center with the Ford Centennial Motorshow from June 9 until 15.

Displayed were familiar products such as the Escape, Expedition, and limited edition Ranger, a Model A, a Centennial Edition Lynx, the Fiesta compact car, the Ecosport mini-SUV, and Everest.

Everest is the 7-seat SUV that debuted at the Bangkok International Motor Show in March and will be available in more than 50 countries. Appearing to be based on the Ranger platform, the Everest offers flexible "SYNCHRO" seating for varying cargo and passenger needs, 4-wheel ABS, dual front airbags, an a 2.5-liter intercooled turbodiesel that produces 121 horsepower and 277 Newton-meters of torque. The Everest is expected to be available later this year as a CBU from Thailand.

Meanwhile, the Lynx Centennial Edition gets the muscle car treatment with a 2.0-liter engine that produces 142 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. The limited edition sedan (only 100 units will be available this July) comes with sport seats, white-faced gauges, RS leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum pedals, and tilt-and-slide sunroof. A mesh-front grille, smoked headlamps, foglamps, side skirts, spoiler, and exclusive 100-year badge spice up the exterior.