For most of its history, Ford has maintained operations in other countries and built assembly plants in regions where they are feasible, but American made vehicles still play a major role in keeping the company competitive in other markets. In fact, Ford exported more U.S. assembled vehicles outside of the country than other other automaker in 2020, to the tune of more than 280,000 vehicles.
One in every six American made vehicles Ford assembled in 2020 was exported abroad, and no other automaker matched that figure during the same time period. The 280,000 figure represents a diverse array of vehicles too, like the Ford Explorer Plug-in Hybrid and 2021 Ford Mustang, which are exported to Europe, a region that seems enamored with both vehicles. But trucks play a major part in boosting that number too, as the Ford F-150 is sold in regions like the Middle East and China too.
Ford is set to send even more American made vehicles abroad this year, once production for the 2021 Ford Bronco gets underway at the Ford Michigan Assembly plant, as that model is destined for the Middle East this summer. Ford recently invested $750 million into the plant for the all-new model and continued production of the Ford Ranger. Additionally, the Blue Oval is building a modification center at the plant where customer vehicles will be personalized, no matter where the buyers hail from.
Exports of American made vehicles are practically guaranteed to rise through the back half of 2021, as demand is expected to rebound once vaccination rates increase. Unfortunately, Ford is still experiencing some setbacks from COVID-19 related production issues springing from the ongoing semiconductor shortage. That forced Ford to hold back incomplete examples of the 2021 Ford F-150 at the Ford Dearborn Truck plant and the Kansas City Assembly plant. The disruption is expected to last for several weeks.
We’ll have more interesting information about Ford’s American operations in the near future, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the most comprehensive Ford business news on the internet, plus continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
It’s is certainly interesting to see how other markets respond to the offerings manufactured here. The Mustang has always been popular for lots of reasons, but seeing how the SUV is received is interesting. Wagons have always been popular especially in the European market, due to their car handling capabilities while offering as much or in many case more UTILITY than their equally sized and elevated brethren.
It appear that they are successfully filling product offering holes in their market offerings, the question becomes, how large are those holes?
Although like the Europeans were big on Sport wagons in past they are firmly on the SUV bandwagon and have been for several years. The American car magazines waxing poetic about how the Europeans are still so enamored with the more efficient wagons is a bunch of hooey.
Have you been to Europe lately? SUV’s are extremely popular. Like their North American friends, European buy as much SUV as they can afford. The VW Tiguan was the second best selling vehicle in Germany in 2019. My German friends have 2 SUV’s in their driveway: A Ford and a VW… I spent a few weeks driving from Northern Germany to France and England a couple summers ago and SUV’s crowded the “Car Parks” just like they do here.
The Netherlands buy not any Ford SUV of truck
No Bronco available
No Mustang E First Edition available for more as 1 year
We buy 5000 and up Dodge Ram
Tesla X type
Jaguar I-pace EV
Bentley Bentayga
Ford never can take this market back
This correct the Ford Explorer Hybride is to big you can not park in the public parkings
More as 2500 order and prepaid Mustang E First Edition on Januari 2020 nobody get his car. 2000 have canceled the orders. Before you can order Mustang E GT since 2 weeks not possible anymore. Ford is An illusion to get. The Chinese take the European customers by storm. Greely go together with Volkswagen. Ora go together with BMW use the BMW platforms.
Yet they effectively ignore the Australian market, a market where not so long ago they held a 25% share but now only 6% and that only due to the sales of the Ranger and Mustang, the Bronco would sell extremely well down here as evidenced by the sales of wranglers and the Explorer/nautilus would fill a huge gap in the market currently only filled by the grand cherokee. Also factory RHD F trucks could gain market share in that division, even RAM and GM have appointed factories down here to deconstruct then reconstruct their range of 1500s into RHDs. To keep pace with demand RAM Australia is now going to produce both the old and new models alongside each other to cover the backlog in orders. But poor old Ford are still living in the backwater of only selling vehicles they want to sell not what the public want to buy.
Ford badly let Australia down. Such a shame. Australia is practically in fords pocket but Ford ignores it.
Ford badly let Australia down. Such a shame. Australia is practically in fords pocket but Ford ignores it.
It’s odd how Ford treat Australia; they pour millions of dollars into using it as a major design, engineering and testing hub yet fail to supply the type of cars we’re buying or if they do supply them it’s often years after they’ve been on sale elsewhere. We had a car designed and built here called the Territory which replaced the 99/2005 Explorer and was a huge sales success and well regarded against any of its peers; but when they stopped producing cars here at first there was no replacement so buyers of large 7 seat SUVs went elsewhere then when they finally replace it with the Edge(Endura in Oz) it’s only a 5 seater on a market wanting 7 and only a piddly 2 litre diesel when the market wants large capacity diesels or V6/8 cylinders. They start to test a V8 Ranger but as soon as people start asking for it drop the project. They just don’t seem to have a clue or they’re deliberately running the brand into the ground so they can do as GM did to the local GMH brand, destroy everything it stood for then pull out of the market and just bring in a few halo models.