Five Ford Innovations that Changed the Game

We all know the myth to be false at this point: no, Henry Ford didn’t invent the automobile. He simply perfected the automobile to such a degree that he might as well get the credit for it. 

In the early twentieth century, the founder of Ford Motor Company introduced a number of revolutionary inventions and innovations. From establishing now-commonplace practices of mass production and five day workweeks to newer applications such as blind spot technology, Ford has remained at the forefront of cutting-edge ideas.

Today, Charles Gabus Ford looks back at the five most crucial ways Ford has altered the landscape of the auto industry. 

Moving Assembly Line & Mass Production 

Automobile manufacturing was never the same following Ford’s implementation of the moving assembly line. By using a conveyer belt, Ford assembly plants were able to efficiently move the product to the worker, rather than having employees scurrying about facilities in a frenzy. After a series of trial and error, the process was perfected at the Highland Park assembly plant in 1913. Before long, new automobiles were being fully assembled in under 90 minutes. 

In addition to the assembly line, Ford introduced standardization, the practice of incorporating standardized parts that could be used on different models. With the combination of assembly lines and standardization, Ford dramatically reduced production costs and increased efficiency.

Model T 

Perhaps the auto industry’s first mic drop, the Ford Model T was mass produced for nearly two full decades, from 1908 to 1927. During that span, it established itself as the first mass-affordable automobile, resulting in car travel becoming available to middle-class America. Though the average price of a Model T was $780 in 1910, savings stemming from mass production allowed that figure to dip to $290 by 1924 – a truly staggering decrease, especially when adjusted to today’s standards. 

Thanks to the moving assembly line and its interchangeable parts, the Model T (nickname: “the Tin Lizzie”) became the most popular vehicle in the world by an astouding margin. By the early 1920s, more than half of registered automobiles throughout the world were Fords, with over 15 million Model T’s built and sold during that span. 

$5 Wage / 5-Day Workweek 

When Henry Ford proposed in 1914 that all Ford employees be compensated at five dollars per workday, it sent a shockwave through the working community – and for good reason. Five dollars per day translates to $153 per day in 2023 after adjusting for inflation. That’s good for $19 an hour, well above 2023’s federal minimum wage of $7.25. The strategy immediately proved successful, as workers everywhere flocked for a position in Ford’s factories.

In 1926, Ford introduced another now-standard workplace practice with the five-day workweek, decreasing it from six days. The idea was driven by the expectation that worker productivity would increase if given more leisure time. Ford also believed that by slicing the workweek from 48 hours to 40, workers would have more time to purchase and consume goods – which was also good for business. Now if only someone could further modify Ford’s century-old vision and get us down to a four-day workweek…

The Trimotor Plane 

One of the great “What If’s” in automotive history is the Ford Airplane Division, which shut down in 1933 during the doldrums of the Great Depression. When Ford entered the aviation business during World War I, all they did was introduce the Trimotor Plane, an aptly-named, three motor plane. Able to seat twelve, the Trimotor became the United States’ first successful passenger airliner.  

You can’t help but wonder what Ford could have further accomplished in the aviation space if not for the economic circumstances. Unfortunately, in this case, the sky was literally the limit. 

Blind Spot Monitoring 

For decades, drivers changed lanes with little more than three rear mirrors and their own intuition. That changed with the introduction of Ford’s BLIS (Blind Spot Information System). BLIS is responsible for detecting vehicles in your blind spot and alerting you to their presence. It has since paved the way for a bevy of modern collision-avoidance technology. 

While Volvo was technically the first manufacturer to introduce this feature to the public, Ford’s 1995 concept car, the GT90, was the first vehicle fitted with modern blind spot technology. Ford would finally unveil its version of blind spot monitoring to a mass audience in 2009 with the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid. 

Reinvent Your Driving Future 

Ford continues to innovate to this day and are currently focused on expanding the reach of EV technology. With plans to put over 40 EVs and hybrid models on the road within the next decade, Ford’s next step seems to be the complete electrification of the majority of its fleet. 

If you’re thinking of joining the electric movement in 2024, pay us a visit at Charles Gabus Ford! Check out the Mustang Mach-E, an electric SUV with an EPA-estimated range of 310 miles, or the F-150 Lightning, Ford’s increasingly popular, all-electric truck. Together, we can keep innovating well into the new year and beyond.