Jun 22, 2016

Ford Motor Company is the brainchild of Henry Ford, who incorporated it in 1903. It’s headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, near Detroit. According to the company, it has manufacturing and distribution operations on six continents as well as nearly 200,000 employees and 67 plants. Ford has come a long way since its beginnings and owns at least a small stake in many companies. It also has many divisions and subsidiaries. Here is a look at the key businesses that Ford owns or has a stake in.

Ford Motor Land Development

Ford Motor Land Development is a corporation and a Ford subsidiary that deals in real estate. It also works in areas such as dealership design and facility management. It is responsible for owning and managing more than 5 million feet of commercial real estate in Michigan.

Ford Motor Credit Company

Ford Motor Credit Company is a limited liability corporation that focuses on helping Ford dealers and Ford consumers, whether they are businesses, government agencies or individual customers, with vehicle financing. In fact, it handles almost half of all U.S. Ford and Lincoln vehicle leases and loans. In addition, it offers services such as loans to help dealers with varied uses such as inventory and facility maintenance. When asked “What companies does Ford own?” this is the one that may most readily come to mind. It has a subsidiary, FCE Bank, which handles European operations.

Jiangling Motors

Jiangling Motors is a Ford joint venture in China that started in 1997. Ford’s Chinese involvement also includes Ford Motor (China), Ford Motor Research & Engineering (Nanjing), Ford Automotive Finance (China) and Changan Ford Mazda Engine.

Mazda

Ford has a small ownership stake in Mazda; the stake used to be much larger, for example, 33 percent in 2008. The stake has since dropped to 2.1 percent, with Toyota stepping in for a long-term partnership with Mazda. Mazda is based in Japan.

Aston Martin

Ford has an 8 percent stake in Aston Martin, which is based in Britain. Ford has owned Aston Martin for long stretches at a time, but Ford sold most of its stake in the company in 2007.

Lincoln Motor Company

If someone is asked, “What companies does Ford own?” the first that comes to mind may well be Lincoln Motor Company. However, Lincoln is in fact a division of Ford. Lincoln’s focus is luxury vehicles, and it has been part of Ford since 1922.

Motorcraft

As with Lincoln, Motorcraft is another division of Ford. Motorcraft develops parts for Ford and Lincoln vehicles, and some of its parts fit a wide range of non-Ford and non-Lincoln vehicles. It also sells motor oil. In many cases, outside companies contract with Motorcraft to produce quality parts under the Motorcraft label.

As you can see, Ford is involved in a wide range of business endeavors. It retains small ownership shares in companies such as Mazda and Aston Martin that it used to be more involved in. Through a land development company and a credit company, Ford works to provide opportunities for financing and commercial land ownership. And although Ford does not “own” Lincoln per se, Lincoln is a full-fledged, thriving division of Ford.