AutoSaver.com by Kimberly Ann
In honor of our Independence Day this week, we thought we’d
salute the top three United States Auto Manufacturers. These companies have been known as ‘The Big
Three’ or ‘The Detroit Three’ and have been amongst the largest auto
manufacturers in the world. So, here’s
to Ford, General Motors and The Chrysler Group.
According to AutoGuide.com, in the first quarter of 2013,
Ford has moved a total of 580,917 vehicles thus making it the top
seller worldwide, over Toyota who came in at number two. Quoted on their corporate site as saying,
“Ford Posts First Quarter Pre-Tax Profit of $2.1 Billion, Driven by Highest
North America Profit in more than a decade; Net Income of $1.6Billion +’ …now
that’s impressive. Founded in 1903 by
Henry Ford, The Ford Motor Company introduced
methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars as well as large-scale management
of an industrial workforce…the moving assembly lines. With top sellers starting with the Model T, Ford has not only
manufactured millions of vehicles, they employ an estimated 160,000 people
worldwide. Ford has three of the top ten
best sellers of all time:
- The Ford F Series Pick up at 35 million units sold
- The Ford Escort at 20 million units sold
- The Model T at 16.5 million units sold
The General Motors’
powerhouse incorporates Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet. Founded in 1908 by William “Billy” Durant and
holding only the Buick Motor Company, General Motors soon acquired more than 20
companies including Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Oakland (currently known as
Pontiac). Although they have only one
vehicle on the top ten list, the Impala, this vehicle has been around for over
five decades with the Corvette having celebrated it’s 60th birthday on June 30. We MUST also mention the Cadillac, which was
the first production vehicle to introduce the electric starter, ignition and
lighting. Employing an estimated 213,000
people worldwide, General Motors’ sales are on the rise as well. Reporting their highest number of vehicles
sold in the month of May at 252,894.
This is their highest volume since September 2008.
The Chrysler Corporation was founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925 from what once was the Maxwell Motor
Company.
The company expanded in 1928 acquiring the Fargo truck company and the Dodge
Brothers Company, as well as establishing the Plymouth and DeSoto automobile brands in the same year. In 1987, Chrysler acquired American Motors Corporation, which brought the
profitable Jeep brand to their sales fleet.
Chrysler holds the Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands under their umbrella. Selling 2.2 million vehicles in 2012, the
Chrysler Group, LLC employs 65,000 people.
Today, European automaker Fiat, is the majority shareholder of the
Chrysler Corporation but will always be considered an American company.
Without these Automakers, we'd have hundreds of thousands of additional unemployed individuals. They have made a huge contribution to our country and society. Thank You Ford, GM and Chrysler, you've made a difference and make our country proud.
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