Ford of Britain
Ford of Britain (officially Ford Motor Company Limited) is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, itself a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex. It adopted the name of Ford of Britain in 1960.
Ford of Britain operates three major manufacturing sites in the UK, in Bridgend (petrol engine production), Dagenham (diesel engine production) and Halewood (transmissions). It also operates a large research and development facility in Dunton, Essex, which employs over 3,000 engineers.
Ford has been the UK's biggest-selling car and commercial vehicle brand for 34 and 45 consecutive years respectively.
History
1903–1918
The first Ford cars, three Model As, were imported into the UK in 1903 and the first dealership in Southampton opened in 1910. In 1909 the Ford Motor Company (England) Limited was established under the chairmanship of Percival Perry opening an office at 55 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on 8 March 1911.