Plant in Russia initially producing Ford Model A and AAs thereby playing an impo

rtant role in the industrialisation of that country.[13]

The creation of a scientific laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unf
ettered basic research, led to Ford's unlikely involvement in superconductivity
research. In 1964, Ford Research Labs made a key breakthrough with the invention
of a superconducting quantum interference device or SQUID.[14]
Ford offered the Lifeguard safety package from 1956, which included such innovat
ions as a standard deep-dish steering wheel, optional front, and, for the first
time in a car, rear seatbelts, and an optional padded dash.[15] Ford introduced
child-proof door locks into its products in 1957, and, in the same year, offered
the first retractable hardtop on a mass-produced six-seater car.vbvbvbvbvThe Fo
rd Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are the gasoline-electric hybrid pow
ered versions that launched in the U.S. in 2004 for the 2005 model year. Built i
n Kansas City, Missouri, it was the first hybrid SUV to hit the market. The Ford
Escape Hybrid was the first American-built hybrid and the first hybrid vehicle
from an American automaker, joined by the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrids
during the same model year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, t
he first generation Ford Escape Hybrid is 70% more efficient than the regular Es
cape. The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is a rebadged version of the Escape Hybrid. It
features revised front-end styling and a more luxurious interior.
Ford is the se the Lifeguard safety package from 1956, which included such innov
ations as a standard deep-dish steering wheel, optional front, and, for the firs
t time in a car, rear seatbelts, and an optional padded dash.[15] Ford introduce
d child-proof door locks into its products in 1957, and, in the same year, offer
ed the first retractable hardtop on a mass-produced six-seater car.The Ford Esca
pe Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are the gasoline-electric hybrid powered ve
rsions that launched in the U.S. in 2004 for the 2005 model year. Built in Kansa
s City, Missouri, it was the first hybrid SUV to hit the market. The Ford Escape
Hybrid was the first American-built hybrid and the first hybrid vehicle from an
American automaker, joined by the Chevrolet Silvevbvbvrado/GMCvbvbvbv Sierra Hy
brids during the same model year. According to the Environmental Protection Agen
cy, the first generation Ford Escape Hybrid is 70% more efficient than the regul
ar Escape. The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is a rebadged version of the Escape Hybrid
. It features revised front-end styling and a more luxuriovbvbvbvbus interior.
In an attempt to compete with General Motors' mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, an
d Buick, Ford created the Mercury in 1939 as a higher-priced companion car to Fo
rd. Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete
with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobil
e market.
In 1929, Ford was contracted by the government of jkljkljkljklthe Soviet Union t
o set up the Gorky Automobile Plant in Russia initially producing Ford Model A a
nd AAs thereby playing an important role in the industrialisation of that countr
y.[13]
The creation of a scientific laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unf
ettered basic research, led to Ford's unlikely involvement in superconductivity
research. In 1964, Ford Research Labs made a key breakthrough with the invention
of a superconducting quantum interference device or SQUID.[14]
Ford offered the Lifeguard safety packagcond-largest U.S.-based automaker (prece
ded by General Motors) and the fifth-largest in the world based on 2010 vehicle
sales.[7] At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest automaker in Europe.[8]
Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the 2010 Fortune 50
0 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion.[9] In 2008, Ford pro
duced 5.532 million automobiles[10] and employed about 213,000 employees at arou
nd 90 plants and facilities worldwide.