Ford Brasil is the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian subsidiary of American

automaker The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % suc ...

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

, founded on April 24, 1919. The operation started out importing the

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

cars and the

Ford Model TT The Ford Model TT is a truck made by Ford. It was based on the Ford Model T, but with a longer wheelbase, and a heavier frame and rear axle, giving it a rating of . Production When the first three units were produced in 1917, the Model TT was s ...

trucks in kit form from the United States for assembly in Brazil. The Ford brand, however, had already been present in the country since 1904 with both vehicles being sold in

History

Initially operating in rented buildings, Ford opened its own plant in 1921 in São Paulo. Called Solon Plant, it was a scaled-down Highland Park Plant, also designed by Albert Kahn. Also, in 1928, a

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...

village was open in

Pará Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...

to supply tires and other parts, called Fordlândia. This was abandoned in 1934.

1950s — From assembling to manufacturing

In 1953 Ford opened a new and bigger plant in São Paulo, known as the Ipiranga Plant, geared for local production. Ford inaugurated a full blown manufacturing operation on August 26, 1957 with the first

Ford F-600 The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford since the 1948 model year. Slotted above the Ford Ranger in the Ford truck model range, the F-Series is marketed as a range of full-sized pickup trucks. ...

medium truck, very similar to the US-made F-600, leaving the production line featuring a Y-block engine, 40% of its parts being Brazilian made. The remaining items were still imported from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, but gradually, as the number of

OEM parts An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

suppliers in Brazil grew, this number decreased significantly. The F-600 was followed in 1958 by the F-100 pick-up truck and in 1959 by the

F-350 The Ford Super Duty (short for F-Series Super Duty) is a series of heavy-duty pickup trucks produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 1999 model year. Slotted above the consumer-oriented Ford F-150, the Super Duty trucks are an expansion of ...

light truck. In 1958 the Ipiranga Plant was expanded with the start of local engine production, the 272 Y-block engine.

1960s — Expansion

On October 9, 1967, Ford took control of troubled Willys-Overland do Brasil as majority shareholder and integrated the factory in

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of . History The city was founded by João Ramalho in 1553 a ...

as well as the product mix of two mid-range sedans, the Aero-Willys and the Willys Itamaraty, the utility vehicle

Willys F-75 Willys (pronounced , "Willis" ) was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MB ...

, the pick-up truck F-75 and the ever-popular off-roader

Willys Jeep The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, -ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its supply catalogue designation G503,According to i ...

into their Brazilian line-up. When Ford acquired Willys' Brazilian operation, they inherited a work-in-progress that evolved into the

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

Ford Corcel The Ford Corcel ("stallion" in Portuguese) is a car which was sold by Ford do Brasil in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. It was also assembled in Venezuela (along with the Del Rey). The French-influenced styling of the Corcel was ...

, that was widely based on the

Renault 12 }), the other is the submodel designation TS. Sold as a sedan or a station wagon (TSW), it has a 1.4 litre carburetted C1J (Cléon) engine with and came with either a four- or a five-speed transmission. Australia The Renault 12 won Australia's ...

, but had its very own design. The Corcel was one of the most popular cars in the 1970s, it sold well as a four-door sedan and the two-door coupe was launched for younger buyers. Of those the more prestigious was the Ford Corcel GT with more power, a black hood and aggressive looking racing stripes on the sides. The mid-range sedan at the time was the ancient Ford (Willys) Aero, in fact, it was a modified version of the Aero-Eagle that Kaiser-Willys had started building in the USA way back in 1954 and had been on the market as Aero Willys. When Chevrolet launched the Opala in 1968, and it proved to be very popular in both the 2-door and 4-door models, Ford needed urgently a competitive replacement for the outdated Aero. Ford do Brasil also built the Ford Galaxie, one of the few V8 cars ever produced in Brazil, launched in 1967. It was initially equipped with 272cid or 292cid Y-blocks also used on pick-up trucks, using the North American 1966 four-door sedan body. It was the most expensive automobile produced in Brazil. In 1974 Ford opened an engine factory in Taubaté, near

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, to accommodate the production of the 2.3L 4-cylinder engine used on the Brazilian Maverick and exported to the USA.

1970s — Ford Maverick, Super Luxo, and the Oil Crisis

At the 1972 São Paulo Auto Show, in December, the

Ford Maverick Ford has marketed the following automobiles models using the Ford Maverick nameplate: * The Ford Maverick (1970–1977), a compact car sold in North America and Brazil during the 1970s * The rebadged Nissan Patrol Y60 sold by Ford Australia under ...

was launched as a 1973 model, although it was nearly identical to the 1970 American model with contoured bumpers. Three models were available: the base Ford Maverick Super, the more posh Ford Maverick Super Luxo, both with the Willys 6-cylinder as standard, and the sporty Ford Maverick GT with the 302 V8 engine, which was optional in the Super Luxo. Bigger than the average Brazilian car it sold well in the first two years, after that only the 2-door Super Luxos was keeping up the numbers. It received the Taubaté 2.3L 4-cylinder engine in 1975 and was heavily revised in 1977 but sales still declined and the Ford Maverick was quietly discontinued in 1979. During the world oil shock of the 1970s, Brazil began what is now a thriving industry of ethanol fuels extracted from sugar cane. "Movido à álcool" (''in English'': "Powered by Alcohol") quickly became a sales slogan for any car. Ford do Brasil was on the verge of launching the German Ford Escort and swiftly developed the higher compression rate engine for its latest model. The same happened for the small block V8 of Ford's upper class models Ford Galaxie and Ford Landau, which were nonetheless eventually discontinued in 1983.

1980s — Merger with Volkswagen

The difficult economic situation in South America in the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

due to astronomic inflation rates forced manufacturers to look into options that would help to save money. The Brazilian and Argentine subsidiaries of Ford and

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

decided to merge into a new holding, named

AutoLatina AutoLatina was a joint venture between Volkswagen Group subsidiary Volkswagen do Brasil (51%) and Ford Motor Company subsidiary Ford Brasil (49%) in South America. The main reason for the joint venture was the bad economic situation at the time, ...

, in 1987. Volkswagen held 51% of the shares, and Ford the remaining 49%. 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. The Ford Escort, introduced in both its 3- and 5-door version in 1983, and its convertible version (launched in 1985) was selling well. Yet, Ford decided to drop the 5-door version by 1986 and to concentrate on the younger car-buying market with its 3-door version. In 1989, Ford do Brasil exchanged the 1.6 CHT engine for the 1.8 version of the VW AP engine into the Ford Escort, mated to a gearbox from the German

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...

, the performance rose to 90HP in the Ghia version and 99HP in the sporty XR3. The joint car project resulted in new models like the Ford Verona (known as Volkswagen Apollo) that was launched in 1989. These new cars, with identical platforms and VW engines — although a 1.6 version with CHT engine was available, could be produced for a fraction of the cost, keeping both brands competitive against main rival

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

. In 1990, the Ford Versailles (a facelifted version of the Volkswagen Santana), was launched in an increasingly more positive economical climate.

1990s — Regained independence

Ford and Volkswagen split amicably back to their individual divisions in 1994. This was partly due to the 75th anniversary of Ford do Brasil and partly because the dwindling sales figures on Ford's end prompted the American carmaker to seek independence from Volkswagen, to regain total control over all operations and to apply the lean production methods that had improved competitiveness in their home market. However technically Ford would continue to rely on engines and drivetrains from their former partner. In 1996 the German Ford Fiesta was also introduced as Ford's new low end model into the market, replacing the 1.0 Ford Escort Hobby that had been launched in 1993 as a "carro popular" (the people's car), a government incentive to the manufactures to produce cheap and fuel efficient cars. As a matter of fact the entire, now restyled, production of the whole range of Ford Escort models was relocated to Argentina, including the first Escort

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

to be sold in Brazil.

2000s — Ford Fusion, Fiesta, Mondeo, and EcoSport

Ford do Brasil manufactured models with four-cylinder engines 1.0/1.6 Zetec-Rocam and the 2.0 liter Duratec on localized low-cost versions of the global platforms like the

Ford Ka The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2016 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduce ...

, Ford Fiesta and the

Ford EcoSport The Ford EcoSport (pronounced ) is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured by Ford. The first-generation model was developed and built in Brazil by Ford Brazil since 2003, at the Camaçari plant. The second-generation model was laun ...

, a XUV version of the European Ford Fusion mk1. In 2000, Ford closed the Ipiranga Plant, which produced CKD trucks and automobiles. Part of the overall success of the Ford America Latina operations, currently the one that provides the highest profit within the

global operation, was the brand new factory in

Camaçari Camaçari is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is located at . It is part of the Salvador Metropolitan Region (''Região Metropolitana de Salvador''), being the industrial city of the metropolis. Camaçari covers , and had an estimated population of 30 ...

in the northern

State of Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest by ...

in which Ford invested US$4 billion and created a unique environment that consolidates production line with their direct suppliers' own facilities. The Ford EcoSport

mini SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...

and the Ford Fiesta were made for the Brazilian market and exported to other

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

as well. While Ford continued to offer European models like the

Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...

(imported from Argentina) the Ford F-250 pick-up truck, Since 2006, the four-cylinder version of the Mexican-built Ford Fusion had been sold as a lower-production-cost replacement for the

Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a large family car manufactured by Ford since 1993. The first Ford model declared as a " world car", the Mondeo was intended to consolidate several Ford model lines worldwide (the European Sierra, the Telstar in Asia and Aus ...

, as fourth generation model would have been too expensive to be sold in Brazil, although it was sold in Argentina. Ford Fusion had sold quite well in Brazil, often topping the charts as the best selling car of its segment in Brazil. Ford do Brasil had at that time 396 sales points and 233 dealerships.

2020s — Ending local production

In 2019 it was decided to close the São Bernardo do Campo plant, sold to Construtora São José and FRAM Capital, ending the national production and exiting the South American truck market. Ford Motor Company ceased all production in Brazil on January 12, 2021, after 101 years. The

, Bahia and Taubaté plants were shut immediately. The Troller plant in

Horizonte, Ceará Horizonte is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Ceará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Ceará (CE), located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. ...

closed on 31 December 2021. It sold 119,454 cars, 19,864 pick-ups and 579 trucks in Brazil in 2020. This makes it the 5th best-selling automaker in Brazil, with 7.14 % of Brazilian automotive market. Models sold in Brazil are now produced elsewhere, such as the

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

(USA) and

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

(Argentina). With the discontinuation of the Ka, Ford now focuses on importing the Mustang, Ranger, SUVs and the Transit.

Products

Current

: *

Ford Bronco The Ford Bronco is a model line of sport utility vehicles manufactured and marketed by Ford. The first SUV model developed by the company, five generations of the Bronco were sold from the 1966 to 1996 model years. A sixth generation of the mo ...

– Built in USA *

– Built in Mexico *

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

– Built in USA *

Ford Ranger Ford Ranger is a nameplate that has been used on multiple model lines of pickup trucks sold by Ford worldwide. The nameplate has been used for distinct model lines of vehicles worldwide since 1982 from the compact and mid-size pickup category. ...

(1998–present) – Built in Argentina * Ford Territory (2021–present) – Built in China *

Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...

– Built in Uruguay by Nordex S.A. Since 2021

Discontinued

(1909–1928) * Ford Coupe * Ford F-100 (1957–1997) *

(1957–1974) * Ford Galaxie (1967–1979) * Ford Galaxie LTD (1969–1981) * Ford Belina (1970–1991) *

(1973–1979) * Ford Landau (1976–1983) * Ford Corcel II (1978–1986) * Ford F-1000 (1979–1998) *

Ford Del Rey The Ford Del Rey is a midsized car produced by Ford do Brasil in Brazil from 1981 to 1991. It was a successor to the popular Ford Corcel II. Like the Corcel II, the Del Rey was designed exclusively for Brazil, but was sold in Chile, Venezuel ...

(1981–1991) *

Ford Pampa The Ford Pampa is a coupe utility manufactured by Ford do Brasil between 1982 and 1997. It was derived from the Ford Corcel and Ford Del Rey, and was the best-selling coupe utility in Brazil for several years. The Ford Pampa was replaced by the ...

(1982–1997) * Ford Escort (1983–2003) – Built in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

from 1996 to 2003 * Ford Verona (1989–1996) * Ford Versailles (1991–1996) * Ford F-250 (1999–2012) * Ford F-250 Tropivan (1999–2012) *

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...

– Built in USA for the Brazilian market *

– Built in Europe for the Brazilian market * Ford Courier (1998–2013) *

(2009–2013) *

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car marketed by Ford since 1976 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and has been positioned below the Escort (later the ...

(Hatchback: 1996–2019 – Sedan: 1999–2019) – 6th generations. Built in Brazil * Ford Super Duty (1998–2019) – Built in Brazil * Ford Cargo (1981–2019) – Built in Brazil * Ford Fusion (2006–2020) *

(1997–2021) – Built in Brazil *

(2003–2021) – Built in Brazil

Willys-overland

* Ford Jeep * Ford F-75 * Ford F-85 * Ford Aero (1968–1971) * Ford Itamaraty (1968–1971) * Ford Rural (1968–1977) *

(1968–1977)

References

*"Ford Maverick of Brazil" (1996). by author Ernesto Franzen *"Autolatina: O Fim de uma Aliança" (2002) by author : R. Arkader, A. da Rocha, Editora: Coppead, Rio de Janeiro – Brasil *"The Automobile in South America – The Origins (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)" by author Álvaro Casal Tatlock, FBVA, Rio de Janeiro – Brasil

External links

* {{Authority control * 1919 establishments in Brazil Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1919 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2021 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2021 Defunct defence companies of Brazil Brazilian subsidiaries of foreign companies Companies based in São Paulo (state)