BRITS POS – BRITS - Ford is celebrating its centenary – 100 years in South Africa, marking the historic milestone with a look back at the company’s many endeavours.
The Blue Oval first opened its doors on the tip of Africa in 1923 in Port Elizabeth, 20 years after Henry Ford first established the Ford Motor Company in the United States, and quickly went on to establish South Africa as one of its key markets and manufacturing centres. “Ford has played an integral role in South Africa’s history since establishing its local operations in 1923, boasting a proud tradition of pioneering achievements and industry milestones over the past century,” it said.
The iconic Ford Model T first went into production in America in 1908, and by 1913 Henry Ford had established the industry-pioneering factory production line that reduced the time it took to build a car from around 12 hours to just 90 minutes.
Ford started out with 21 office staff and 71 assembly workers, the factory created 1,446 units in its first year, which retailed from as little as £145 – an affordable price even by the standards of the time, according to the manufacturer.
The automaker continued to expand its efforts through the 60s and 70s, celebrating the creation of its 1-millionth vehicle in 1976 and crowning Port Elizabeth as the “Detroit of South Africa.”
During the 1980s, Ford entered negotiations with Amcar and Anglo American, who took over sales and distribution while the carmaker relocated its production to Silverton, Pretoria. The sanctions of the era meant exports dropped substantially, and so the company’s engineers instead focused their efforts on creating unique models for the local market such as the Cortina XR6, Sierra XR6, and Sierra XR8 – the latter of which was limited to 250 units and ran on a 5.0-litre V8 Mustang engine. The Blue Oval achieved its 2-million car milestone in 1993, and in 1997 production started on the Ford Fiesta at Silverton. In more modern times, Ford has shifted its efforts towards the light-commercial sector, as the Ranger bakkie is now its main focus.
The Ranger’s powerplants are produced at Struandale and shipped to Silverton, where they are installed in the fifth-generation Ranger, as well as the second-generation VW Amarok.
Silverton currently represents a multi-billion-rand investment from the American manufacturer and produces more than 200,000 vehicles per year. (TopAuto)
