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Ford Motor Argentina

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Ford Argentina S.C.A.
Ford assembly plant in General Pacheco
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1913; 111 years ago (1913)
FounderHenry Ford
HeadquartersPacheco Stamping and Assembly,
General Pacheco
Key peopleMartín Galdeano (president)
ProductsAutomobiles, trucks
Number of employees3,500  (2018)
ParentFord Motor Co.
Websiteford.com.ar

Ford Argentina S.C.A. is the Argentine subsidiary of Ford Motor Company founded in Buenos Aires in 1913. Its first products were Model Ts assembled from complete knock down (CKD) kits provided by Ford Motor Company in 1917. Nevertheless, Ford Motor Argentina is best known in more recent times for producing the Ford Focus and, previously, the Argentine version of the Ford Falcon, originally a U.S. model introduced in Argentina in 1961, but adapted to the Argentine market.

In South America, Ford's primary operations are in Brazil, Argentina and Ford Andina. (Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) Ford employs over 18,000 people and operates seven assembly or other plants in the region.

History

1915 Ford advertisement published in La Prensa newspaper featuring the model T

In 1913, Ford entered the Argentine market, and in 1916, Buenos Aires became home to the first assembly operation of Ford products in Latin America and the second worldwide after Ford of Britain. Dismantled cars were assembled in Argentina at the plant on Herrera Street, in the Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires. That same year, the parent company invested US$240,000 for the construction of an assembly plant in La Boca, another neighborhood of Buenos Aires. In 1922 the plant was inaugurated with the production of the model T, which was imported and assembled locally with a 20% parts manufactured in Argentina. By 1927, 100,000 units had been produced in Argentina. That same year the model A was launched.

Ford assembly plant in La Boca, c. 1922

At that time the products were marketed through a net composed of 285 dealers. The administrative staff and the personnel of paid workers came to 400. Later, and due to the rising demand the plant was enlarged, coming its staff to 1,500 people.

In 1939, with the Second World War outbreak, the importation of vehicles and components was closed. The production was restricted to finishing the units with the available material, but the increasing lack of basic supplies for the production forced to stop the activity. During this time, Ford manufactured batteries and it attended its clients with the sale of spare parts and car accessories made in local repair shops. Later, this would give rise to the beginning of the Argentine auto part industry. The first Ford trucks were imported to Argentina in 1930.

After the WWII concluded, Ford Argentina restarted activities at La Boca in late 1946, but production was interrupted again in 1948, which remained until 1957. In 1959, the company started production of the first commercial vehicles, F-series pickups, F-600 trucks, and chassis for B-600 colectivos. The former "Ford Motor Argentina S.A." was incorporated in 1959. The F-600 medium-duty trucks were also produced by then. One year later, the company started to build a new assembly plant in General Pacheco, Buenos Aires Province to increase its capacity of production. The General Pacheco Assembly Plant was officially inaugurated in 1961. It has a surface area of 252,000 m2 covered (out of 1,308,000 m2 total).

The first vehicle to be produced at General Pacheco was the Falcon in 1962. The offer expanded with the Fairlane, released in 1969 and targeted to the luxury car market. Nevertheless, the 1973 oil crisis and its consequences (such as the increase of prices more than 300%) forced manufacturers to produce smaller and low fuel consumption vehicles. Therefore, in 1974 Ford launched the Taunus (a mid-size car originally designed by Ford Germany), the first European-based car to be produced by Ford Argentina. In 1979 the Falcon became Argentina's top selling car with 28,522 units sold, accomplishment repeated six times. In 1982, Ford had a 38% share in the Argentina market.

Ford Argentina opened a truck assembly and paint plant in 1982. One year later, the Taunus n° 1,000,000 was produced at General Pacheco. In 1984, Ford Argentina launched the Sierra, another mid-size designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz, and Patrick le Quément for Ford Europe.

In 1987, AutoLatina Argentina, a joint venture formed by the merger of Ford Motor Argentina and Volkswagen Argentina, was established. Each brand maintained their own corporate image, the marketing and sales structures, as well as independent dealerships and service shops. All other departments were consolidated, allowing significant cost cutting, but also cutting the workforce almost in half. Sales figures and profitability were disappointing and the joint venture was dissolved in 1994, and on 1 January 1995, Ford Argentina S.A. was reestablished. Under the Autolatina separation plans, Ford became sole owner of the Pacheco plant (Volkswagen acquired the existing truck plant and converted it for car assembly).

President Carlos Menem driving an Escort model in October 1996, during the ceremony in which the model was released in Argentina

Ford incorporated the production of Escort (European version) and Ranger pickup models. In December 1996, all Ford Argentina plants and the Customer Assistance Division obtained ISO 9002 certification while in 1998 Ford reached 2,000,000 vehicles produced. In April 1999, the Pacheco Assembly Plant obtained ISO 14001 certification.

In 1999 the production of the Focus, a successful Ford global model, started at the Gral. Pacheco Plant. The Focus was honored as the "Car of the Year" in Argentina by two different councils of journalists.

In 2000, Ford held 14.9% of the market share, ranking second in the market. Market participation was 13.4% in cars and 18.9% in trucks; where Ford maintains leadership, production volume was 56.300 units. Ford ranked first among automotive manufacturers regarding exports. By then, only the Focus and Ranger models were produced in the plant.

In 2007, Ford had 12.8% market share, ranking third after Peugeot-Citroën (28.5%) and General Motors (20.5%) with a production volume of over 64.000 units. The company also invested US$156.5m in the Pacheco facility

The increasing interest of consumers towards other type of vehicles (like SUVs) forced Ford Argentina to stop production of the Focus model in 2019. It has been the last sedan to be produced by Ford in Argentina since then. As of 2022, only the Ranger pickup is produced at General Pacheco plant.

Produced models

The list includes Ford models assembled, manufactured, and imported in Argentina, in chronological order:

Current models

Name Type Origin Produced Image
Ranger Pickup truck  USA 1996–present

Past models

Name Type Origin Produced Image
Model T Economy  USA 1917–28
Model A Full-size  USA 1928–32
F-100/150 Pickup truck  USA 1959–97
F-600/700 Truck  USA 1961–92
F-350/400/500 Medium-duty truck  USA 1961–92
Falcon Sedan / station wagon  USA
 ARG 		1962–91
Fairlane Mid-size  USA 1969–81
Falcon Ranchero Coupé utility  USA
 ARG 		1973–91
Taunus Mid-size  GER 1974–83
Sierra Mid-size  EU 1984–93
Escort C-segment  EU 1987–2002
Orion C-segment  EU 1994–97
Focus Compact  EU 1999–2019
Cargo Truck  UK 1999–2000
Notes
  1. Fully manufactured since 1925. Until then, only assembled.
  2. Only assembled in the plant of La Boca (1959–61), and then fully manufactured (starting in 1961) in General Pacheco.
  3. Assembled only (1962–63); from 1963 that year, the Falcon became the first Ford 4-door sedan fully produced in Argentina.
  4. Although the first Falcon produced was based on the North American model, since 1966 its restylings were made in Argentina with no relation with the parent company.
  5. ^ Not the original Ford Ranchero but an adapted local Falcon body.
  6. Introduced by Ford Europe in 1998. The third generation of the Focus was released in 2011 with similar design for both markets, Europe and North America.

Imported models

Other imported models

  • Mustang (third generation)(1980-1990)
  • Fairmont (1980-81)
  • Taunus 17m (1961-62)
  • Courier (1998-2010)
  • v8 (1938-39)
  • Bronco (Third generation) (1980-82)
  • Escape (2001-03)
    • Notes
    1. Asian version produced from Mazda, imported from Japan.
    2. Rebadging of Brazilian Volkswagen Santana, commercialised by former Ford subsidiary AutoLatina.
    3. Originally imported from Spain, one year later Argentina began to import Fiesta manufactured in Brazil.
    4. Included models C195E, C1517, C1722, C1932, C2632. Trucks were imported from Brazil.
    5. The line added an hybrid model in 2020.

    References

    1. Martín Galdeano Es Designado Presidente de Ford Argentina, 2 Jun 2020
    2. ^ Marcas de autos fabricados en Argentina | Ford on AutoHistoria
    3. Historia de Ford en Argentina on AutoHistoria (archived, 3 Sep 2019)
    4. ^ 1932 Ford T on Journey America (archived, 10 Aug 2014)
    5. Historia del Ford Falcon on TodoFalcon website
    6. Ford Automotive Operations – Latin America (archived, 17 June 2001)
    7. Sustainability Report 2006-07 on Ford.com (archived, 9 Feb 2008)
    8. ^ Los hitos de los 100 años de historia de Ford en Argentina on Cars Magazine, 18 Nov 2013
    9. Los primeros años on Ford Argentina, 21 Aug 2020
    10. ^ Después de casi 90 años, Ford dejará de vender camiones en Argentina y Sudamérica, Clarín, 19 Feb 2019
    11. Smith, Charles D. (2006), Palestine and the Arab–Israeli Conflict, New York: Bedford, p. 329.
    12. "OPEC Oil Embargo 1973–1974". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
    13. Cronologia del Ford Taurus en Nuestro País on Club Taunus Argentina
    14. Ford Sierra|Features on The Independent, 6 November 2007
    15. Argentina on BuyUSA (archived, 3 Nov 2008)
    16. Argentina: Ford to invest US$156.5m in Pacheco facility at Automotive World.com (archived, Oct 11, 2007)
    17. Los operarios de Ford Argentina despidieron al Focus y enviaron un mensaje al Gobierno by Carlos Cristaldo on Motor1, 5 May 2019
    18. Producción de Ford en Argentina on AutoHistoria
    19. La pick up más vendida del mundo: sus 10 hitos en 45 años de historia Infobae, 10 Jul 2020
    20. "Ford F-600 (1961-1990)" on Camión Argentino, 12 Aug 2014
    21. A 57 años del primer Falcon "nacional" by Dylan Bucchianeri on Parabrisas, 15 Jul 2020
    22. Así probábamos al primer Falcon, Parabrisas, 15 May 2019
    23. Ostmann, Bernd, ed. (July 15, 1998). "Focus nur fuer Auslands-Modelle: Gerichtsurteil gegen Ford". Auto, Motor und Sport (in German). 15 (9).
    24. ^ Se despiden el Ford Fiesta y Focus de la Argentina ¿quién los reemplaza?, Cuyo Motor, 20 Feb 2019
    25. La Historia del Ford Fiesta: Los Primeros 35 Años on Motorweb Argentina, 1 Aug 2011
    26. El Ford Fiesta cumple cuarenta, Parabrisas, 9 Sep 2016
    27. La historia del Ford K en Argentina, Parabrisas, 9 Mar 2016
    28. Ford Mondeo: una historia que empezó antes del Mondeo by Hernando Calaza on Auto Cosmos, 29 Jan 2020
    29. Adiós al Ford Mondeo: la planta española de Almussafes finalizó su producción, 10 Apr 2022
    30. Así probábabmos al EcoSport, Parabrisas, 7 Jun 2020
    31. Lanzamiento: Ford Kuga, Autoblog, 20 Dec 2016
    32. Lanzamiento: Ford Kuga Hybrid on Autoblog, 16 June 2020
    33. La Leyenda Que Cambió Más Que Una Forma de Conducir, El Ford Mustang, Ford Argentina, 18 Apr 2020
    34. Lanzamiento: Ford Transit Van Mediana de techo bajo y Minibús on 16Valvulas.com, 23 Mar 2018
    35. Lanzamiento: Ford Territory, Autoblog, 7 Aug 2020
    36. Lanzamiento: Ford F-150 Raptor on Autoblog, 8 Jan 2020
    37. Se presentó el nuevo Ford Bronco y Bronco Sport at Parabrisas, 13 Jul 2020
    38. Lanzamiento: Ford Maverick on Motor1, 4 Nov 2021
    39. Granadas alemanes on Archivos de autos, 10 Jun 2012
    40. Uldane, Mauricio (22 July 2012). "Archivo de autos: Un Ford llamado Mustang". Archivo de autos. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
    41. Zampa, José Luís. "Retrotest singular: un auto que no pasa inadvertido". El Litoral (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 June 2024.
    42. "Taunus 17 M, un auto alemán en Argentina". Archivo de autos (in Spanish). 11 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
    43. "Ford Courier 1.8 D". importados.testdelayer.com.ar. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
    44. "Ford Cupé V8 1938". importados.testdelayer.com.ar. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
    45. Villegas, René (7 February 2021). "La Ford Bronco se acerca a Argentina: aquí su historia". Motorweb (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2024.
    46. Dia, Auto al (19 March 2017). "2001: TEST FORD ESCAPE XLT 2.0 4X4". Auto al Día. (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2024.

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