Ford Motor Company - 1979 dated Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian United States Banknote Corporation. The Ford Motor Company, widely recognized as Ford, is a prominent American multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Established by Henry Ford, the company was incorporated on June 16, 1903. Ford produces automobiles and commercial vehicles under its own brand, while luxury vehicles are marketed under the Lincoln brand. Additionally, Ford has ownership of the Brazilian SUV manufacturer Troller, holds an 8% stake in the British company Aston Martin, and possesses a 32% stake in Jiangling Motors. The company also engages in joint ventures in several countries, including Changan Ford in China, Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan, AutoAlliance Thailand, Ford Otosan in Turkey, and Ford Sollers in Russia. Ford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is primarily controlled by the Ford family, who maintain minority ownership but hold the majority of voting rights.

The company is credited with pioneering large-scale automobile manufacturing and the systematic management of an industrial workforce through intricately designed manufacturing processes, notably the moving assembly line; by 1914, these practices had become globally recognized as Fordism. Ford previously owned the UK-based subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, which were acquired in 1989 and 2000, respectively, but were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008. Furthermore, Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 until 2010. In 2011, the company phased out the Mercury brand, which had been used to market entry-level luxury vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938.