Marketing Plan
...Michigan. Ford had a vast interest in working with machinery. In 1903, Henry Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company and in 1908 introduced the world to the Model T car for a cost of $950. As groups of men labored to assemble parts for the Model T car, Henry soon discovered by grouping individuals together to create the Model T car sufficiently reduced production time as well as cost. Thus, grouping workers together played a key role in producing an automobile that was reasonably priced, efficient and reliable. Henry combined precision manufacturing, interchangeable parts and standardization. Thus, the assembly line was born (The life of Henry Ford, 2003). Eventually, the price of the Model T car decreased from $950 to $250 as the demand for the car increased. No longer was the Model T car viewed as a luxury item for the rich but instead, the Model T car was now viewed as a car for the ordinary man (Henry Ford biography, 2008).
Today, the automotive industry has experienced vast changes. Many companies are now building hybrid cars in order to address the concerns of many consumers such as burning fuel efficiently and combating the issues of global warming. According to William Clay Ford, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Ford Motor Company,” the company that can take the lead in addressing environmental concerns will have a real competitive edge.” (William Clay Ford, Jr., 2007/08 ¶ 2).
As a result, Ford wants to transform the company into a leading-edge provider of sustainable personal transportation. In fact, over the last three years, the Ford Motor Company has spent nearly $23 billion on research and development which includes working on hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen internal-combustion engines and flexible fuel vehicles in laboratories and test fleets worldwide (William Clay Ford, Jr., 2007/08)....
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