Regional Review > 

North America

Ford is a truly global company, with its headquarters in North America. We are proud to build more vehicles in the United States, and have more United Automobile Workers (UAW) hourly workers in the United States than any other automaker. Our other markets in the region are Canada and Mexico.

At a Glance

3 primary markets: the United States, Canada and Mexico

100,000 employees

31 manufacturing facilities

“We are proud to be a global company with our home in North America. Our markets continue to deliver strong sales and also help us lead the way in developing new mobility solutions for the future. We remain committed to doing our share to create a sustainable future and contribute positively to the communities where we live and work.”

Kumar A. Galhotra

Kumar A. Galhotra,Group Vice President and President, Ford North America

How We’re Driving Change

New Advanced Diesel Engines

Diesel engines continue to be a popular option in many markets, due to their excellent drivability, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption characteristics, and our research and development activities continue to provide even cleaner and more efficient solutions. In North America, for example, we’re offering two new advanced diesel engines: the 1.5-liter EcoBlue® engine in our 2019 Transit Connect – the only diesel in its segment – and the 3.0-liter Power Stroke – the first diesel engine for an F-150. Both demonstrate the fuel efficiency and power performance that progressive diesel engines can provide.

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  Customers and Products

Read more about fuel economy, emissions, sustainable materials and driver safety.

Manufacturing Fitness in Action

At our Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, we’ve invested $25 million to increase manufacturing line speed. This additional investment, combined with advanced manufacturing upgrades, helps the company improve its operational fitness. Upgrades include 400 new robots, enhanced data analytics to help the plant operate more efficiently and a new 3D printer that enables workers to make parts and tools more quickly and cheaply.

Advanced Energy Infrastructure for Dearborn Campus

By 2020, our new Research and Engineering Center on our Dearborn campus will become our latest LEED-certified building. Its advanced sustainability systems will include a combined heat and power plant, advanced chiller technology, a thermal energy storage tank, and geothermal heating and cooling. In addition, a solar array could supply up to 4MW of electricity: enough to power more than 1,000 homes.

 Case Study

100 Percent Recycled Water at Chihuahua

At our Chihuahua plant in Mexico, we have used only recycled water to power our operations for almost a decade. In 2018, with the opening of a new facility on-site, we have taken a step further, creating three streams of water: treated wastewater for operations, treated wastewater for use in toilets and potable water for drinking. All unused water is discharged into a new lagoon.

Water recycling is an ongoing journey, and the results we’ve achieved in Chihuahua, as well as the successful collaboration with local municipalities and industrial partners, will guide us when exploring alternative water sources at other facilities in the future.

Our Chihuahua plant uses 100% recycled water for operations and toilets.

Making Way for Holograms

Ford designers and engineers are using visualization software and “mixed reality” headsets to review 3D designs with colleagues around the world in real time. Being piloted in Dearborn, the Microsoft HoloLens technology creates holograms that project virtual design elements onto photo-quality backdrops, actual cars or clay models. This allows us to quickly evaluate the designs, make changes and determine styling options earlier in development.

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  Operations

Discover how we’re reducing energy use and emissions at our facilities, managing water use and reducing waste to landfill.

 Case Study

Miami: The New Proving Ground for Self-Driving Vehicles

To better understand the potential for self-driving vehicles and how they can fit in, interact with and enhance transportation, we are establishing our first-ever autonomous vehicle hub in Miami. It will become our largest test bed for self-driving vehicles by the end of 2018. We’ve also partnered with Domino’s Pizza, ride-hailing company Lyft and delivery company Postmates to start pilot programs that test consumer reactions to self-driving vehicles.

  Read more about how we’re taking the next steps toward self-driving vehicles

Miami is the fifth-most congested city in the United States and the 10th most congested in the world.

Birds, Bees and Biodiversity

For the last six years, we’ve worked on the Nashville GreenField Restoration Project, a collaboration with Golder Associates and the Tennessee Environmental Council to turn the area around our old glass plant, five miles from downtown Nashville, into a vibrant natural environment. With help from a diverse range of community partners, the project includes reforestation, grassland and prairie reestablishment, creating a solar-powered rainwater irrigation system, developing a tree nursery and arboretum trail with 30 native tree species, as well as extensive bird and pollinator habitats. The site’s natural vibrancy also makes it an ideal outdoor classroom for local students. Our community partners have included STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students from Vanderbilt College, representatives from local companies, Eagle Scouts and members of community organizations.

Students With Community Spirit

The Ford STEAM High School Community Challenge empowers students to make a positive difference in their communities. Supported by $50,000 in grants from Ford Fund, high school pupils propose solutions to address unmet needs in technology, alternative energy, health and other areas. In 2018, six teams from across the United States were selected to compete.

  • The winner, Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida, was awarded $20,000 to develop a smartphone app that enables people affected by natural disasters to communicate with emergency response teams, family and friends

  • Runner-up, the Utica Center for Science and Industry in Sterling Heights, Michigan, will use their $10,000 award to harness energy from the use of gym equipment

  • The four other teams – from California, Florida, Georgia and Texas – each received $5,000

Helping People Overcome Taxing Challenges

More than 60 Ford employees are currently trained and certified to work on our tax assistance program, providing much-needed help to low-income residents in southeast Michigan. In 2017, the volunteers supported the Accounting Aid Society in helping local residents claim a total of $28 million in tax credits and other benefits to which they were entitled. The tax help is available, free of charge, at both of Detroit’s Ford Resource and Engagement Centers, and is often critical to helping vulnerable people become more self-sufficient.

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  People and Society

Read more about our efforts to improve mobility and our contributions to our local communities.

 Please see our Annual Report 2017 for further information on our regional business units, including key financial metrics for North America (pdf, 3.52MB).