Here’s How Ford Australia Got Started 100 Years Ago

While Ford is regarded as one of the core American automakers, its reach extends far beyond the United States. That includes operations Down Under by way of Ford Australia, which his celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. Ford’s decision to establish roots in Oceania was influenced by several factors, all unfolding in the 1920s.

In 1923, North American Ford executives headed out to Australia to scope out a place to build the automaker’s new base of operations, which would come to represent all of if activities in the country. P.W. Grandjean, one of the execs, penned a letter to Edsel Ford in 1924, claiming that “the time is ripe to carry on a business in Australia with our own organisation.”

Geelong, Victoria proved the perfect place to set up operations, thanks to its deep seaport, wealth of available land, easy railway access, and large workforce. The Geelong factory was established a short while later; the Model T Ford was the first vehicle to roll off the new assembly line in 1925. The model was sold for 185 pounds – or roughly $18,542 AUD when adjusted for inflation. The vehicle earned the Aussie nickname “Dalgety,” referencing the Dalgety Wool Store in Geelong, where the first Model T units were built.

1934 Ford Ute

Geelong is also the home of the first coupe-ute (a small vehicle with a passenger compartment up front and a cargo bed in the rear, for our American readers). The first coupe-ute was conceptualized by request of a local farmer to Ford in 1932, who needed a vehicle that could “take my wife to church on Sunday and carry my pigs in the back on Monday.” Two years later, the Ford Coupe-Utility was born, the first example of the pickup-like “utes” that would become a staple of Aussie car culture in the following decades.

Ford Australia is still going strong, although the automaker did consider pulling the plug on its Oceanic operations at one point. In fact, in 2024, sales in the region surpassed 100,000 for the first time since 2008, meaning it will likely be around for a while yet.