Who owns Ford Motor Company? Meet William Clay Ford Jr – It’s often a bit of a mystery who owns who in the automotive world. Often, multiple brands are branched together under the ownership of one larger company, sometimes in surprising ways. It’s a feature of modern capitalism that the brands we typically interact with are actually owned by another, a semi-faceless name that we’re likely not aware of.
Some wonder about the ownership status of Ford. When climbing up the ladder of ownership, Ford Motor Company sits above Ford and Lincoln. But who owns Ford Motor Company?
Meet William Clay Ford Jr.
William “Bill” Clay Ford Jr. is the great grandson of Henry Ford himself, and currently holds the position of Executive Chairman at Ford Motor Co. As of March 2018, Bill owns 6.8 million shares of common Ford Motor Co. stock
As executive chair of Ford Motor Company, William Clay Ford Jr. is leading the company that put the world on wheels into the 21st century. He joined the board of directors in 1988 and has been its chair since January 1999. Through the years, his vision for the company has remained unchanged.
“I believe the purpose of a company is to make people’s lives better,” he says. “That is how we became great in the past and it is how we will become even greater in the future.”
Under Bill Ford’s leadership Ford Motor Company has taken aggressive steps to improve the efficiency and focus of its traditional automotive business. At the same time it is accelerating its efforts to be the most trusted provider of smart vehicles and mobility services.
William Clay Ford Jr. Interview | A Drink With – Detroit
“The ongoing success of Ford Motor Company is my life’s work,” he says. “Nothing is more important to me than our reputation as a family company that people trust to do the right thing.”
After joining the company in 1979 as a product planning analyst, he held positions in manufacturing, sales, marketing, product development and finance. During the 1982 Ford-United Auto Workers labor talks, which launched the employee involvement movement that revolutionized the industry, he served on the company’s National Bargaining Team. In 1983 he began a 12-month course of study as an Alfred P. Sloan fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was elected chair and managing director of Ford Switzerland in 1987.
As head of Business Strategy for the Ford Automotive Group in 1990, he helped develop guidelines for establishing low-volume manufacturing plants in emerging markets. After being appointed general manager of Climate Control Division in 1992, he led a profit turnaround and a major improvement in product quality. He also established the company’s first wildlife habitat at a plant location and the first automotive plant in the world to use 25 percent post-consumer materials in all of its plastic parts. While he was general manager the division won the President’s Commission on Environmental Quality Award.
Bill Ford was elected a company vice president and head of the company’s Commercial Truck Vehicle Center in 1994. He left that position in order to become chair of the Board of Directors’ Finance Committee in 1995. In addition to his duties as chair, he served as chief executive officer of the company from October 2001 to September 2006, when he was named executive chair. As CEO, he improved quality, lowered costs and delivered exciting new products. During his time in that position he took the company from a $5.5 billion loss in 2001 to three straight years of profitability.
A lifelong environmentalist, Bill Ford is committed to developing products that benefit customers and society. Under his leadership, in 2000 Ford Motor Company published its first corporate citizenship report outlining the economic, environmental and social impact of company products and operations around the world. In 2004, the company completed the world’s largest brownfield reclamation project, the restoration of its Ford Rouge Center in metropolitan Detroit. He also championed the Escape Hybrid, the world’s first hybrid-electric sport utility vehicle.
“During the last industry downturn, Ford invested heavily in fuel economy and technology at a time when many others were pulling back,” he says. “It absolutely was the right thing to do.”
Looking to the future, in 2011 he began outlining the company’s vision of what sustainable transportation will look like in the years ahead, as well as the steps it will take to get there. That future includes vehicles that communicate with each other and the world around them to make driving safer, ease traffic congestion and sustain the environment. As the next step in these efforts, in 2015 the company announced Ford Smart Mobility, its plan to deliver advances in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and data and analytics.
In 2018 he championed the acquisition of the iconic Michigan Central building in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. The company is transforming this former railroad station into the centerpiece of a vibrant new campus where Ford Motor Company and its partners will work on autonomous and electric vehicle businesses, and design solutions that make mobility more convenient and accessible.
“My great-grandfather helped put the world on wheels so everyone could enjoy the benefits of mobility,” he says. “Our vision is to expand on that thinking, using advanced technology and new business models so that personal mobility remains viable in a crowded world. Our Corktown campus will help us achieve that vision. It will be a magnet for attracting talent and a catalyst for creativity and change.”
Bill Ford’s charitable, volunteer and business efforts are highlighted by his commitment to the city of Detroit. As vice chair of the Detroit Lions professional football team, he led efforts to build a new, environmentally-friendly stadium in Detroit that was the site of Super Bowl XL. Through Detroit Lions Charities, he helped develop the Detroit Police Athletic League youth football program into one of the largest in the country.
Under his leadership the company’s philanthropic arm, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, focused its efforts on helping communities, supporting education and improving safety through driving skills training. In 2005 he launched the Ford Volunteer Corps to enhance the efforts of employee volunteers serving communities around the world. In its first ten years, Ford 30,000 volunteers worked on more than 9,000 projects in 40 countries.
In 2015, he championed the 30 Under Thirty program to develop the next generation of Ford philanthropic leaders and the Bill Ford Better World Challenge, which provides grant funding for projects that engage employees and local nonprofits in addressing needs that will improve community life and make people’s lives better.
Bill Ford is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Henry Ford and the Henry Ford Health System, and is chair of the New Michigan Initiative of Business Leaders for Michigan. He served as chair of the board of the Detroit Economic Club from 2005 to 2017 and on the Board of Directors of eBay Inc. from 2005 to 2015. He was inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame in 2011. He also is a founding partner of Fontinalis Partners, LLC, a Michigan-based investment firm that acts as a strategic operating partner to transportation infrastructure technology companies.
In recognition of his commitment to education and devotion to the Detroit community, in 2015 he was given the Ambassador for Humanity Award by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute.
Bill Ford was born in Detroit in May 1957. He is an avid fly fisherman and car enthusiast, enjoys playing hockey and tennis, and is a martial arts black belt. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and a master of science degree in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He also has been awarded an honorary doctor of environmental sciences and engineering degree from Koc University, an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Michigan, an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Bradley University and an honorary doctorate of economic science from University College Cork and the National University of Ireland.
Who was William Clay Ford’s father?
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the son of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.
He worked closely with his father, as sole heir to the business, but was keen to develop cars more exciting than the Model T (“Tin Lizzie”), in line with his personal tastes. Even as president, he had trouble persuading his father to allow any departure from this formula. Only a change in market conditions enabled him to develop the more fashionable Model A in 1927. Edsel also founded the Mercury division and was responsible for the Lincoln-Zephyr and Lincoln Continental. He introduced important features, such as hydraulic brakes, and greatly strengthened the company’s overseas production.
Ford was a major art benefactor in Detroit and also financed Admiral Richard Byrd‘s polar explorations. He died of stomach cancer aged 49. Henry Ford temporarily reassumed the presidency of Ford on Edsel’s death, then Edsel’s eldest son, Henry Ford II, succeeded Henry as president of Ford in 1945.
Edsel Bryant Ford Life and career
Edsel Ford was born in Detroit. He was the only child of Clara and Henry Ford, being named for Edsel Ruddiman, one of Henry Ford’s closest childhood friends.
He was groomed to take over the family automobile business and grew up tinkering on cars with his father. He became secretary of Ford in 1915, and married Eleanor Lowthian Clay (1896–1976), the niece of department store owner J. L. Hudson, on November 1, 1916. Together, they had four children: Henry Ford II (1917–1987), Benson Ford (1919–1978), Josephine Clay Ford (1923–2005), and William Clay Ford (1925–2014). They made their home at 2171 Iroquois Street, in the Indian Village neighborhood of Detroit.
Ford went to The Hotchkiss School, in Lakeville, Connecticut, and the Detroit University School. His family donated to both institutions. The school library at Hotchkiss is named the Edsel Ford Memorial Library.
The younger Ford showed more interest than his father in flashier styling for automobiles. He indulged this proclivity in part with the purchase of the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922. His affinity for sports cars was demonstrated in his personal vehicles: Edsel bought the first MG motorcar imported to the US. In 1932, he had an aluminum, boat-tailed speedster automobile custom-designed by Ford’s first designer, E. T. (Bob) Gregorie and featuring Ford’s brand-new V8, the first low-cost, eight-cylinder engine. This car was sold at an auction during the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 1976.
After becoming the president of Ford, he advocated for the introduction of a more modern automobile to replace the Model T, but was repeatedly overruled by his father. Dwindling market share finally made the introduction of a new model inevitable: the Model A.
During the design of the Model A in 1927, Henry Ford assured mechanical quality and reliability, allowing his son to develop the body, with the help of designer József Galamb. Edsel also prevailed upon his father to allow the inclusion of four-wheel mechanical brakes and a sliding-gear transmission on this model. The resulting Model A was a commercial success, selling over four million during four years of production.
As president, Edsel Ford often disagreed with his father on major decisions and was occasionally humiliated in public by the older man. The relationship between the father and son was always close, but always fraught with unhealthy aspects. Edsel managed to introduce many lasting changes. He founded and named the Mercury division. He was responsible for the Lincoln-Zephyr and Continental. He significantly strengthened Ford Motors’ overseas production and modernized the company’s cars, such as by introducing hydraulic brakes.
How much is the Ford family worth today?
Тhе Fоrd Fаmіlу іѕ оnе оf thе wеаlthіеѕt fаmіlіеѕ іn thе wоrld аnd іѕ frоm thе ѕtаtе оf Місhіgаn іn thе U.Ѕ. Тhе fаmіlу, аѕ thе nаmе ѕuggеѕtѕ, іѕ mоѕt wеll-knоwn fоr іtѕ соntrоl оf thе Аmеrісаn аutоmоbіlе mаnufасturеr, Fоrd Моtоr Соmраnу оr аѕ іt іѕ mоrе соmmоnlу саllеd, Fоrd. Тhе соmраnу wаѕ fоundеd bу Неnrу Fоrd оn thе 16th оf Јunе 1903. Ѕіnсе 1963 Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd Ѕr. (whо іѕ thе grаndѕоn оf Неnrу Fоrd) аnd hіѕ fаmіlу hаvе соntrоllеd thе Dеtrоіt Lіоnѕ frаnсhіѕе оf thе Nаtіоnаl Fооtbаll Lеаguе.
Тhе fаmіlу оwnѕ аll оf thе соmраnу’ѕ Сlаѕѕ В ѕhаrеѕ, whісh аrе соllесtіvеlу еntіtlеd tо еlесt 40% оf thе соmраnу’ѕ Воаrd оf Dіrесtоrѕ. Тhе соmраnу іѕ lіѕtеd оn thе Nеw Yоrk Ѕtосk Ехсhаngе, аnd whіlе thе Fоrd Fаmіlу hаѕ mіnоrіtу оwnеrѕhір, but іt аlѕо hаѕ thе mајоrіtу оf thе vоtіng роwеr.
Тhе соmраnу ѕеllѕ аutоmоbіlеѕ аnd соmmеrсіаl vеhісlеѕ undеr thе Fоrd brаnd whіlе thе соmраnу ѕеllѕ mоѕt luхurу саrѕ undеr thе Lіnсоln brаnd. Fоrd іѕ nоt јuѕt аn Аmеrісаn brаnd but а glоbаl brаnd аѕ wеll. Fоrd оwnѕ thе Вrаzіlіаn ЅUV mаnufасturеr, Тrоllеr, аnd hаѕ аn 8% ѕtаkе іn Аѕtоn Маrtіn оf thе UК аnd а 32% ѕtаkе іn Јіаnglіng Моtоrѕ аѕ wеll.
Тhе соmраnу hаѕ јоіnt vеnturеѕ іn Сhіnа (Сhаngаn Fоrd), Таіwаn (Fоrd Lіо Но), Тhаіlаnd (АutоАllіаnсе Тhаіlаnd), Тurkеу (Fоrd Оtоѕаn), аnd Ruѕѕіа (Fоrd Ѕоllеrѕ). Fоrd іѕ оnе оf thе Тор 3 U.Ѕ. саr brаndѕ. Іn 2019, thе соmраnу рrоduсеd 5.5 mіllіоn vеhісlеѕ аnd еmрlоуеd 190,000 реорlе. Тhе соmраnу’ѕ nеt іnсоmе іn 2019 wаѕ $47 mіllіоn.
Оnе оf thе соmраnу’ѕ mоѕt іmроrtаnt ѕhаrеhоldеrѕ wаѕ Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd Ѕr. (1925 – 2014), whо hаd ѕеrvеd оn thе Воаrd оf Fоrd Моtоr Соmраnу аnd wаѕ thе lаѕt ѕurvіvіng grаndсhіld оf thе lеgеndаrу Неnrу Fоrd. Не іѕ сrеdіtеd wіth rеdеѕіgnіng Lіnсоln Соntіnеntаl, а vеhісlе thаt wаѕ сrеаtеd bу hіѕ fаthеr. А уеаr аftеr hіѕ grаndfаthеr’ѕ dеаth іn 1947, hе wаѕ арроіntеd tо thе соmраnу’ѕ Воаrd оf Dіrесtоrѕ.
Не hаd аlѕо ѕеrvеd аѕ thе mіnоrіtу оwnеr аnd рrеѕіdеnt оf Dеtrоіt lіоnѕ ѕіnсе 1961, undеr whісh thе tеаm hаd а grеаt run. Не hаd ѕеrvеd аѕ thе соmраnу’ѕ Dеѕіgn Соmmіttее сhаіrmаn fоr 32 уеаrѕ, frоm 1957 tо 1989. Не hаd аlѕо ѕеrvеd оn thе bоаrd оf dіrесtоrѕ fоr 57 уеаrѕ, ultіmаtеlу rеtіrіng оn thе 12th оf Мау 2005.
Іn 2013, hе wаѕ wоrth $1.4 Віllіоn. Не wаѕ mаrrіеd tо Маrthа Fіrеѕtоnе Fоrd аnd hаd fоur сhіldrеn: Маrthа Раrkе Моrѕе (b. 1948), Ѕhеіlа Fіrеѕtоnе Наmр (b. 1951), Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd, Јr. (b. 1957), аnd Еlіzаbеth Нudѕоn Fоrd Коntulіѕ (b. 1961).
Маrthа Fіrеѕtоnе Fоrd іѕ сurrеntlу thе рrіnсіраl оwnеr аnd сhаіrwоmаn оf thе Dеtrоіt Lіоnѕ оf thе Nаtіоnаl Fооtbаll Lеаguе (NFL). Ѕhе іѕ аlѕо ѕеrvіng оn thе bоаrd оf thе Неnrу Fоrd Неаlth Ѕуѕtеm. Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd, Јr. (b. 1957) іѕ сurrеntlу wоrkіng аѕ thе ехесutіvе сhаіrmаn оf thе Fоrd Моtоr Соmраnу. Не hаѕ рrеvіоuѕlу ѕеrvеd аѕ thе Рrеѕіdеnt, СЕО, аnd СОО оf thе соmраnу. Не іѕ аlѕо thе vісе-сhаіrmаn оf thе Dеtrоіt Lіоnѕ NFL frаnсhіѕе.
Аwаrdѕ аnd Асhіеvеmеntѕ
Неrе іѕ а lіѕt соvеrіng ѕоmе оf thе Аwаrdѕ аnd Асhіеvеmеntѕ еаrnеd bу thе Fоrd Fаmіlу:
Іn 2015, Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd, Јr. еаrnеd thе Аmbаѕѕаdоr fоr Нumаnіtу Аwаrd bу thе UЅС Ѕhоаh Fоundаtіоn Іnѕtіtutе.
Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd Јr. hаѕ еаrnеd ѕеvеrаl hоnоrаrу dеgrееѕ frоm rерutеd unіvеrѕіtіеѕ ѕuсh аѕ аn hоnоrаrу dосtоr оf еnvіrоnmеntаl ѕсіеnсеѕ аnd аn еngіnееrіng dеgrее frоm Кос Unіvеrѕіtу, hоnоrаrу dосtоr оf lаwѕ dеgrее frоm thе Unіvеrѕіtу оf Місhіgаn, hоnоrаrу dосtоr оf humаnе lеttеrѕ dеgrее frоm Вrаdlеу Unіvеrѕіtу аnd mоrе.
Nеt Wоrth оf Fоrd Fаmіlу іn 2021
Fоrd Fаmіlу Nеt Wоrth
Аѕ оf Nоvеmbеr 2021, Маrthа Fіrеѕtоnе Fоrd hаѕ gаrnеrеd а nеt wоrth оf $1.4 Віllіоn, аnd Wіllіаm Сlау Fоrd, Јr. hаѕ gаrnеrеd а nеt wоrth оf $1 Віllіоn.
Fоrd Fаmіlу hаѕ mаdе а grеаt nаmе fоr thеmѕеlvеѕ іn thе аutоmоtіvе іnduѕtrу, аnd thеу соntіnuе tо рrоѕреr wіth tіmе. Wіth thаt bеіng ѕаіd, wе wіѕh thеm thе bеѕt оf luсk аnd hеаlth fоr аll thеіr futurе еndеаvоrѕ.
New Ford Ranger revealed
Developed by an Australian-led team for sale in more than 180 countries, the Ranger represents one of Ford’s most important models – and an Aussie success story.
The new Ford Ranger ute brings high-tech features, convenient touches and a powerful new engine that could help it topple the Toyota HiLux to become Australia’s best-selling car.
Built on a wider and longer version of the existing model’s chassis, the Ranger has a fresh interior loaded up with a wide-screen digital dashboard and Tesla-like tablet touchscreen that should give it an advantage over the competition.
Fresh exterior styling includes headlights inspired by America’s Ford F-150, along with a wider tray capable of accepting a full-size pallet.
The big news under the bonnet is that Ford’s 3.2-litre five-cylinder engine has been phased out in favour of a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel.
Ford hasn’t announced power outputs for the unit, which makes about 190kW and 600Nm in American pick-ups.
The new V6 will be paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive.
There are no hybrid or electric models for now, but Ford promises that the new machine is future-proof, and ready for green power in coming years.
Customers who want a more efficient – or less expensive – ute can choose 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines with single or twin turbochargers.
The latter is currently found in Ford’s Ranger Raptor, where it serves up 157kW and 500Nm peaks.
Ford hasn’t confirmed the return of the Raptor, but we would be shocked if it isn’t back in showrooms within months of the new model’s debut.
The range-topping model from launch looks set to be a Ranger Wildtrak shown here with eye-catching orange paint.
While prices and specific details are not available yet, the Wildtrak should come with a wide range of driver assistance tech along with a 12-inch tablet-style touchscreen loaded up with smartphone morning, wireless phone charging, voice activated features and Ford’s latest apps.
Cheaper versions make do with a 10.1-inch display.
The Wildtrak is likely to have a 360-degree camera, plus clever surround vehicle lighting that makes it easier to set up camp or make running repairs after dark.
Multi-terrain drive modes also feature alongside a smart full-time all-wheel-drive system that adapts to prevailing conditions.
The new Ranger drives the rear wheels most of the time, but can switch to four-wheel-drive electronically without the driver having to stop the car.
Ford consulted more than 5000 prospective owners to see how the previous model could be improved upon. Simple tweaks include side steps moulded behind the rear wheels, plus a ruler and cupholders moulded into the tailgate.
Owners will be able to lock and unlock their car using a FordPass smartphone app capable of booking services and providing tips for getting the most out of the model.
The Blue Oval also plans to put on four-wheel-drive experiences and concierge services for owners new to off-roading.
The new Ford Ranger will go on sale in the middle of next year.
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