Ford: America’s Top Automaker

80% US Vehicles Are Domestic Builds

Ford has once again established itself as the pioneering leader in the American auto industry with its fifth consecutive year of claiming top rankings in domestic production quantity, exports, and hourly worker staffing. As per figures revealed by S&P Global Mobility, nearly 80% of Ford’s cars and trucks sold in the United States have been constructed domestically by American employees.

Last year, a staggering number of 1.8 million units of vehicles were successfully produced in the United States – 130,000 more than the amount constructed by its closest contender. As expected, the trendy F-Series was part of this total. At the present moment, three factories are fabricating these trucks, situated in Michigan, Missouri, and Kentucky. Plus, other models, for example the Explorer (located in Illinois) and Escape (Kentucky), are being assembled in the US too.

Last year, Ford shipped out more than 260,000 US-assembled cars and trucks, consisting of models like the F-150 and Mustang. The figures prove that Ford’s export rate was 65,000 units higher than their closest competitor. In addition, it is estimated that 1 in every 7 motor vehicles produced in the United States by the carmaker is sent abroad.

“Ford is the most American of all car companies,” declared Executive Chairman Bill Ford. “It is because of our faith in our workforce and in the United States that we construct more vehicles and have more hourly employees here than other automakers.” He continued, “As we transition to an electric vehicle future, we are pleased to keep investing in America.”

It’s obvious that Ford is keen to maintain its “most American” carmaker title for the foreseeable future, and they’re already laying the groundwork to make it happen. This includes the addition of approximately 2,000 jobs at three plants in Michigan, one of which is the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center that houses the F-150 Lightning. Additionally, the Blue Oval City in Tennessee is set to receive 6,000 new jobs to construct the next-generation electric vehicle truck.

Approximately 7,500 new job openings have been created at two battery-manufacturing plants in Kentucky and Michigan. Moreover, the Kansas City Assembly Plant has recently implemented an extra shift to intensify Transit van production. Last week, the facility got underway with assembling the electric powered version of the E-Transit vehicle. While press release did not include any US assemblage statistics for other car makers, this may be something General Motors and Stellantis should consider.

Various foreign carmakers with a considerable US production presence comprise BMW, Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota. Naturally, it is not precisely equitable to contrast their individual production numbers with those coming from Ford. In spite of this, their increasing US production presence is certainly appreciated. Although not like those automakers’ plant personnel, Ford’s factory workers are unionized.

“Ford has put its trust in American workers, particularly the United Auto Workers, more than any other carmaker,” CEO Jim Farley remarked. “The combination of top-notch products and innovative ideas has earned us the loyalty of our customers, making us the top-selling brand in the US so far this year. Other companies have chosen to cut costs, but Ford is different – we will remain lean and competitive while still investing in our domestic market.”

It is a significant point left out of the statement which has to be addressed that Ford had the most recalls among any automotive producer in 2020 at a count of 65, impacting around 8.6 million cars. Some 53 notices of defects were reported for some 5.4 million autos this year. CEO Farley understands the matter and has guaranteed that necessary steps are being taken to rectify the situation; only time will tell how effective they will be.

Conflicts connected with claimed flawed fabricating which has encroached on profits keep on being addressed, however Ford did not give an account of their current position.