Ford Tough: 100 Years of Ford Trucks Ford Tough: 100 Years of Ford Trucks Hardcover

Why All the Success?

Why was the Ford Motor Company so successful? For starters, it enjoyed several important advantages over its competitors. The Ford brand name was the best known in the world and well trusted. By this point Henry Ford himself had become a populist among the people, with many folks wanting him to run for president of the United States, so the tide of public sentiment was on his side. To many he seemed to be a man of the people, capable of doing no wrong. People admired him so much they naturally wanted to buy his products. In addition, Ford had the largest and strongest dealer network by far, the best distribution organization, the most efficient factories, and the lowest prices.

Ford Motor Company boasted another great advantage over all other car or truck companies: economies of scale unheard of prior to this time. Because of the incredible sales volume of this popular automaker, truck-body builders nearly always designed new bodies for Ford before doing so for anyone else. In addition, the Ford truck was well engineered, sturdy, and durable. And buyers knew that if anything did go wrong with their Ford truck there were thousands of dealers around the country waiting to help them with parts and repairs. Besides all that, Ford had a broader product range than many of the smaller independent truck brands, and its lineup ranged from the lightest trucks up to heavy-duty 1-ton jobs.