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Article: Ford Motor Company
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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FORD MOTOR COMPANY
FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, and based in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, the Ford Motor Company quickly revolutionized the market for cars. After several years of making a range of autos, in 1908 Ford decided to concentrate on producing only one car, the Model T. His goal was to compete on the basis of price not product variety. Crucial to this strategy was his adroit use of the moving assembly line, where workers specialized in one minor part of the car-assembly process. As prices fell, sales of the Model T rose from 10,607 in 1909 to 472,350 in 1916. By 1921 Ford accounted for 62 percent of all car sales. As the 1920s wore on, ...