During its first 50 years, Ford Motor Company achieved several milestones that helped shape the automotive industry. Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, which became one of the bestselling and most famous cars of all time. In that same year, Ford began its overseas expansion in France and quickly followed with branches in England, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. In 1913, the company revolutionized the automotive industry with the world’s first moving assembly line for cars.
Ford vehicles were designed to be affordable, reliable, and easy to maintain, appealing to the mass market. To deal with primitive roads, Ford used light and strong vanadium steel alloy for critical parts, which was uncommon at the time.
These achievements, among others, contributed to Ford’s reputation as an innovative and leading automaker by the time it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1953.
[Sources: AmericanCarHistorian.com, Britannica.com, Ford Motor Company]