Ford Motor Company is a manufacturer.
The Ford Motor Company ( commonly referred to simply as `` Ford '' ) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn , Michigan , a suburb of Detroit . Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer , Troller , and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV . Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines ; by 1914 , these methods were known around the world as Fordism . Ford is the second-largest U.S.-based automaker ( preceded by General Motors ) and the fifth-largest in the world ( behind Toyota , VW , Hyundai-Kia and General Motors ) based on 2015 vehicle production .