Ford of Europe

Ford of Europe
legal form	GmbH
founding	1967
Seat	Cologne , Germany
management	Steven Armstrong (CEO)
Number of employees	69,400 (2009)
Branch	Automobile manufacturer
Website	www.ford.eu ; www.fordmedia.eu

Ford of Europe is the European branch of the US Ford Motor Company in Cologne .

Model history cars

Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 through the merger of Ford Germany with the British Ford branch ( Ford of Britain ).

1967–1973: Cortina and Escort

4-door Ford Cortina Mark I (1965)

The first new model since Ford of Europe was founded was the Escort , which was built in the UK from October 1967 and sold later that year. The Escort was a sedan of the lower middle class front-engine, rear-wheel drive , replacing the British Anglia . In addition to the United Kingdom, the car was also built in Germany from 1970. First the 2-door sedan came out, later there was also a 3-door station wagon , a 3-door van and a 4-door sedan. The Escort was powered by four-cylinder Otto in-line engines with 0.95, 1.1 and 1.3 liter cubic capacities. Later there was also a 2.0-liter in-line engine in the RS 2000 , which reached a top speed of 177 km / h. The car quickly became very popular, overtaking models from major competitors such as Opel and Volkswagen (in Germany), Vauxhall , BMC and the Rootes Group (in Great Britain). The escort never achieved such a great dominance in Europe's largest automobile market, but chased away significant market shares from the Opel Kadett and the VW Beetle .

The second major model presentation from Ford of Europe was the Capri , a sports coupé, 1969. The car-based platform of the Cortina was powered by engines with 1.3 to 3.0 liter displacement and was also built in Great Britain and Germany, there with V4 and V6 engines. This model also quickly gained popularity.

In August 1970 the Cortina Mk. III was presented in Great Britain and the almost identical Ford Taunus TC in Germany , which replaced the Taunus 12 M / 15 M there . The British and German models were based on the same platform, but had slightly different bodies and domestic engines as drive, although both cars were available with the 2.0-liter OHC four-cylinder petrol engine developed in the USA . In 1972 the Cortina was the UK's best-selling car.

In spring 1972, Ford Europe replaced its top models (in Great Britain the Zephyr / Zodiac , in Germany the 17 M / 20 M / 26 M ) with the Consul and Granada , which were available as sedans, station wagons and coupes. These models were aimed directly at the Rover P6 , Audi 100 and Triumph 2000 . Consul and Granada quickly outstripped their competitors in many countries and in 1973 they were 10th in the UK sales statistics. Like the Capri and the Cortina / Taunus TC, the early Consul and Granada were built in both Great Britain and Germany, but with the engines customary there in each country.

1974–1980: Escort '81 and new Fiesta

Ford Fiesta '76

A revised Capri II appeared in early 1974. It had a tailgate instead of the usual trunk lid.

The second series of the Escort appeared in 1975. This differed from the outside of the predecessor, but had the same floor pan. The smallest engine with a displacement of 0.95 liters, which never sold well, was only offered in Italy.

In 1975, Ford ousted British Leyland (with the Austin , Morris and Rover brands ) from the top spot in British registration statistics.

In 1976 Ford of Europe entered the small car market with the Fiesta , Ford's first station wagon with front-wheel drive and transverse engine . The Fiesta was built at the Ford factory in Valencia in Spain and was powered by four-cylinder petrol engines with 1.0; 1.1 and 1.3 liter displacement (like the first Escort) available. In the sporty XR2 version there was later also an engine with 1.6 liter displacement. Not only in Great Britain and Germany, but also in the other European countries, the model quickly made its way and soon became one of the best-selling cars on the continent. It prevailed against competitors such as the VW Polo , the Citroën Visa , the Vauxhall Chevette and the Peugeot 104 .

In 1976 the new Cortina Mk. IV and the now identical Taunus TC '76 were presented. The Cortina continued to lead the sales statistics in Great Britain. He prevailed against models from competitors such as the Vauxhall Cavalier / Opel Ascona or the Chrysler Alpine .

In September 1977 the third series of the Granada was presented. All Granadas have been built in Cologne since 1976 , the name "Consul" for the cheaper variant of the Granada was dropped in 1975.

The Capri II appeared in 1978 and was also only built in Cologne.

In 1980 one of the most important performances in Ford history followed. The third series of the Escort, the Escort '81 with front-wheel drive and modern appearance, was sold in Great Britain, Germany and the rest of Europe from October. For the first time there was the Escort as a station wagon; there was no longer a notchback sedan. The 2.0 liter " OHC engine " was no longer offered in the Escort; the top model was initially the XR3 with a 1.6-liter CVH engine.

1981–1989: Sierra, Orion, and Scorpio

20 years of Cortina manufacturing in the UK ended in October 1982 when the new Sierra was released . The new car still had driven rear wheels, but independent suspension instead of a rigid axle. The big innovation, however, was the new, ultra-modern and streamlined shape. Sales were disappointing at first, but demand soon rose and by 1983 the Sierra was third in the UK sales statistics. The car was built in the UK and Belgium and sold across Europe and beyond. Later there were also Cosworth versions of the Sierra, which brought it to a top speed of 150 mph.

In 1983 the seven year old Fiesta received a major facelift . It was still available as a 3-door station wagon but had softer lines that gave it a more modern look. The sporty XR2 version was also back, but with increased power and the first five-speed gearbox ever built into a Fiesta. Also in 1983, Ford gave in to customer requests for a notchback version of the successful Escort station wagon. The notchback version derived from the Escort was called Orion , but it was higher in the model range. The 1.1 liter engine was not available and there were only the better equipment variants GL and Ghia . The Orion was almost as long as the Sierra and many customers saw it as the true successor to the old Cortina / Taunus TC.

In May 1985, Ford presented a further milestone with the Scorpio (still “Granada” in Great Britain). The car was based on the extended platform of the Sierra and looked a lot more modern than any other car in this market segment back then. The Scorpio was also the first large-scale production vehicle in the world to be equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS) as standard . Good equipment, a comfortable interior and good quality ensured the Europe-wide success of the Scorpio, which was only made in Germany. A notchback variant appeared in 1989.

Production of the Capri sports car ended in December 1986 after 17 years and there was no successor because sports coupés were no longer in great demand. Fast station wagons such as the Ford Escort XR3i, the Vauxhall Astra GTE / Opel Kadett GTE, the Peugeot 309 GTI or the VW Golf GTI were much more popular .

In February 1987 a new Sierra was presented, which was now primarily available as a notchback sedan. The models of competitors such as Austin Montego , the Vauxhall Cavalier / Opel Ascona , the Fiat Croma and the Peugeot 405 have long since offered this. The notchback version was called Sapphire and was the first notchback model from Ford after the Cortina / Taunus TC had been discontinued five years earlier.

A new Fiesta on a modern platform with twist beam rear axle was presented in April 1989. The most important innovation was the long awaited five-door version. Here, too, the competitors have long since offered five-door models such as the Austin Metro , the Vauxhall Nova / Opel Corsa , the Fiat Uno , the Seat Ibiza or the Peugeot 205 . The 1.0 and 1.1 liter HCS (High Compression Swirl) engines , which were available in addition to the tried and tested 1.3 and 1.4 liter engines, were also new to the range . There was also a 1.8-liter diesel engine and the XR2i and RS Turbo sports models with 1.6-liter engines. The top model Ghia was the first Fiesta to be equipped with electric windows and ABS.

For most of the 1980s, the Escort was the best-selling car in the world; it topped the UK sales statistics every year from 1982 to 1989. Despite a facelift in March 1986, the car was looking a bit old-fashioned at the end of the decade compared to competing products such as the Rover 200 , the Peugeot 309 , the Fiat Tipo and the Vauxhall Astra / Opel Kadett .

1990–1996: "Driven by you"

Ford Escort RS Cosworth (1996)

The Escort '91 was unveiled with the new Orion in September 1990 , but the two new vehicles generated only moderate interest. The model range was expanded during the construction period to include the RS2000 16V and RS Cosworth , both of which met with more positive reactions. The RS2000 had a modern 16V engine with intake manifold injection that developed 110 kW (150 hp), and the extensive standard equipment included half-shell seats from Recaro. Strictly speaking, the RS Cosworth is not an escort. The vehicle and especially the technology is based on the Ford Sierra. The more compact Escort was to be used for use in the World Rally Championship, but - unlike all other Escorts from 1980 onwards - it should still have the longitudinally installed Cosworth YB engine with 162 kW (220 PS) and the all-wheel drive of the Ford Sierra. Between 1993 and 1997, the Escort won a total of eleven races in the World Rally Championship.

Ford was able to hold onto the top position of the British sales statistics in the early 1990s. Brian May was even asked to write a new song - Driven by You - which was then featured on Ford TV spots in the UK.

Ford responded to criticism of the Escort's inadequacies in September 1992 with a minor facelift , and the introduction of the new Zetec engines existed, which were also available in the Fiesta. The Orion also benefited from the improvements, but from 1993 the name Orion was abandoned and the notchback versions were now also called Escort.

In 1993 Ford introduced a standard driver airbag on all production models ; many models also had a passenger airbag either as standard or as an option.

In February 1993, Ford introduced the fundamentally new Mondeo mid-range car , which replaced the Sierra and competed with the Opel Vectra / Vauxhall Cavalier , the Peugeot 405 and the Nissan Primera . With the Mondeo, the step towards front-wheel drive was made in this class and the model was available with various Zetec 16V engines . In 1994 a 2.5 liter Duratec V6 was added. The car that as a hatchback , notchback sedan and station wagon was available in 1993 for car of the year selected. When it was first introduced, there was hardly a front-wheel drive car with better driving characteristics in Europe. In 1994 Ford again led the UK's midsize car sales, ousting the Vauxhall Cavalier that had led them in previous years.

At the beginning of 1994, Ford had something to offer again on the coupé market with the Probe , which was built in the American style and based on a Mazda . Equipped with a 2.0-liter 16V four-cylinder engine or a 2.5-liter V6 engine, the car drove well, but sold worse than Ford had hoped.

In 1995, Ford reworked the Fiesta and Escort lines to keep them competitive with the growing number of rivals that were preparing to attack Ford's market position. Another Neuvorstellung this year was developed together with VW and in Palmela (Portugal) by the joint venture Autoeuropa Automóveis produced Van (MPV) Galaxy , who led immediately the sales statistics of the vans in the UK.

1996-2003: New Edge Design

In 1996 Ford introduced the "New Edge Design" into its series. Some of the models with the bold new look were new, while others were just face lifted versions of earlier designs.

Main article: New edge design

In 1996, Ford entered the small car market with the strangely named and strangely styled Ka , but in 1997 it was relegated to second place by Renault Scénic in the Car of the Year competition . The Ka was built with the platform of the Fiesta and its 1.3 liter gasoline engine. Criticism aroused the tightness in the back seats and the small trunk. Around the same time, the Mondeo received a facelift with a sharper contoured front and new seats that gave rear seat passengers more space.

Also based on the Fiesta '96 was the Coupé Puma 1997, which was available with an engine from the Fiesta program with either 1.4 or 1.7 liter displacement and the Mazda 121, which Ford produced for Mazda and which is different from the Fiesta practically only differentiated by the other brand emblems.

With the cessation of production of the Scorpio - as the car was also called in the United Kingdom since 1995 - Ford said goodbye to the upper middle class in May 1998 . The peculiar styling of the facelift version, which hardly found a parallel in other European Ford models or in European competing models, contributed to the model's failure.

Ford Focus (2001)

In 1998 the escort came to an end with the introduction of the successor Focus . Since the Focus looked completely different from everything else on European roads at the time, Ford continued production of the Escort until July 2000 to give customers the opportunity to get used to the new design. But Ford shouldn't have been afraid of the public reaction to the new Focus, because it has been voted Car of the Year several times. At the peak of production, a Focus left the assembly lines in Saarlouis (Germany) , Valencia (Spain) , Wayne (Michigan) (USA) and Hermosillo (Mexico) on average every 12 seconds .

In 1998 the successor to the Probe came in the form of the Cougar . Like its predecessor, the Cougar was created in the USA and was equipped with 2.0 and 2.5 liter engines. Unlike its predecessor, it was based on the Mondeo's front-wheel drive platform. It offered a lot of space for a coupé and shone with excellent driving characteristics. The sales figures in Europe were quite low and so from 2001 the car was only offered in the USA.

The aging Fiesta received its second facelift in the fall of 1999 and still sold brilliantly thanks to its good driving characteristics and good handling, which successfully obscured its age. The interior was one of the best in the small car sector at the time, even if the space - especially in the rear seats - was not convincing. This flaw was fixed in 2002 when the completely new Fiesta went on sale. This new Fiesta was to be built in Cologne and Valencia, with a Fiesta leaving the production lines approximately every 27 seconds at each plant. This meant that Ford's car production in the United Kingdom ended after around 90 years, even though commercial vehicles and engines were still being built in Dagenham .

The Mondeo was presented completely renewed at the end of 2000, but was beaten by the Alfa Romeo 147 in the Car of the Year competition . The new Mondeo was cheaper than its predecessor, but its biggest advantage was its comfortable equipment and good driving characteristics, which brought it back to the top in the middle class . Even though demand in this market segment fell slightly in Europe in the 2000s, the Mondeo remained Britain's most popular mid-range car until 2007, when it was overtaken by the face-lifted Vauxhall Vectra .

With the end of production of the Puma at the beginning of 2002, Ford no longer had a coupé on offer.

In 2003, Ford brought the C-Max to the growing compact van market for the first time . The C-Max was the first model on a new platform that would also serve the new Focus a year later.

Since 2004: Kinetic Design

Ford Fiesta (2008)

The second generation of the Focus - station wagon, notchback limousine and station wagon - went on sale in December 2004 and followed seamlessly from its predecessor. The new model was praised for its comfortable equipment, its good driving characteristics and its reliability. The only point of criticism was its inorganic design, which differed little from that of its predecessor.

In 2006 the new S-MAX and the second generation of the Galaxy were presented. Both cars had the same platform, but the S-MAX was cheaper and sportier, while the Galaxy was more luxuriously equipped and more practical. The S-MAX became the first van to be voted Car of the Year.

In June 2007 the third generation of the Mondeo was presented. With the 1.6-liter four-cylinder in-line engine as the basic engine, it is more affordable than its predecessor.

The Fiesta , which was revised in 2005, was replaced by a new model at the end of 2008 , which is also available as the Fiesta Econetic with diesel and Fiesta LPG engines with liquefied gas engines.

The styling of the Fiesta corresponds to the second generation Ka , which was on the market from 2009 to 2016. It was built together with the Fiat 500 (Type 312) and on its platform in Tychy , Poland .

In 2005, Ford celebrated the 30th anniversary of leadership on the British popularity scale. The Focus was the UK's best-selling car, with the Fiesta in fifth place and the Mondeo in ninth place. Still, the gap between Ford and his pursuers was closer than ever; Vauxhall and Renault were just a little way behind Ford.

In 2008 Ford bought the majority of the shares of Automobile Craiova in Romania and later renamed the company Ford Romania . The Transit Connect is the first model to be produced there. Production of the B-MAX and the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine was also started at this plant.

commercial vehicles

Ford of Britain's commercial vehicles division was part of Ford of Europe until it was sold to Fiat's Iveco division in Italy in 1986 . The last major models were the Ford Transcontinental and the Ford Cargo .

Tractors

The production of Ford tractors in Europe ceased after the division was sold to Fiat in 1993 and the name was changed from Ford New Holland to New Holland . New Holland is now part of CNH Global . Tractors were in the works Antwerp in Belgium and Basildon in the UK manufactured.

Most important European locations

The company has its main test track in Lommel in Belgium .

Assembly plants

plant	place	country	Employee	Products	Opening year
Ford Romania	Craiova	Romania Romania	4500	B-MAX	2008
Cologne body & assembly	Cologne-Niehl	Germany Germany	4405	Fiesta	1931
Ford Otosan assembly	Gölcük (Kocaeli)	Turkey Turkey	7534	Transit , Transit Connect	2001
Ford Vsevolozhsk assembly	St. Petersburg	Russia Russia	2665	Focus , Mondeo	2002
Genk body & assembly	Genk	Belgium Belgium	4731	Mondeo , since 2006: S-MAX , Galaxy	1964-2014
Saarlouis body & assembly	Saarlouis	Germany Germany	6524	Focus , C-Max (2003 to 2010, 2014–), Grand C-Max (from 2014)	1970
Southampton bodywork & assembly	Southampton	United Kingdom United Kingdom	1120	transit	1953-2013
Valencia body & assembly	Almussafes ( Valencia Province )	Spain Spain	6180	C-Max (2011-2014), Grand C-Max (2011-2014), Kuga , Mondeo (from 2014), S-Max (from 2015), Galaxy (from 2015)	1976