| Mahwah Assembly | |
|---|---|
  Location in New Jersey | |
 | |
| Operated | 1955–1980 |
| Location | Mahwah, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 41°06′19″N74°09′46″W / 41.1053°N 74.1627°W Coordinates: 41°06′19″N74°09′46″W / 41.1053°N 74.1627°W |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Area | 172 acres (0.70 km2) [1] |
| Owner(s) | Ford Motor Company |
| Defunct | 1980 |
Mahwah Assembly was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, 30 miles (48 km) from New York City. It occupied over 172 acres.
The factory began operations in 1955, and was closed in 1980. It was one of three manufacturing facilities in New Jersey. It was built two years after the Edison Assembly plant opened and would eventually replace the Ford Motor Company Edgewater Assembly Plant which closed in 1955.
Mahwah Assembly produced 6 million cars in the 25 years it operated before the last car rolled off the line on June 20, 1980. [2] [3] At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States. The Ford plant, along with other businesses such as American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the town and its reputation for low home property taxes. [4] The Mahwah town sports teams remain named Thunderbirds in honor of the Ford plant.
A portion of the plant site was the U.S. headquarters of Sharp Corporation, [1] but now is home to the US Headquarters of Jaguar/Land Rover and Amazing Savings building.
Vehicles produced at the plant included the 1957 Ford, Edsel, Ford Fairmont, Ford Galaxie, Ford Granada, Ford LTD, Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln Versailles, Mercury Colony Park, Mercury Meteor, Mercury Monarch and the Mercury Zephyr.
Bruce Springsteen's 1982 song "Johnny 99" references the closure of the Mahwah plant in its opening line. [5]
Lincoln Motor Company, or simply Lincoln, is the luxury vehicle division of American automobile manufacturer Ford. Marketed among the top luxury vehicle brands in the United States, Lincoln was positioned closely against its General Motors counterpart Cadillac. The division helped to establish the personal luxury car segment with the 1940 Lincoln Continental.
Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, a decrease of 403 (−1.6%) from the 2010 census count of 25,890, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,828 (+7.6%) from the 24,062 counted in the 2000 census. The name "Mahwah" is derived from the Lenape language word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".
The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupé that was sold by the Continental Division of Ford for the 1956 and 1957 model years. The first product line of Continental, the Mark II was developed as the worldwide flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. Developed as a successor for the 1939–1948 Lincoln Continental, the Mark II derived its nameplate from European manufacturing practice, denoting a second generation of the model family; Ford would later use this nomenclature for the Mark Series of flagship personal luxury cars.
Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 until 1997 and from 1999 through 2002 model years. While the nameplate is associated with two-door coupes, at various times during its production, the Cougar was also marketed as a convertible, four-door sedan, station wagon, and a hatchback.
The Ford Fairmont is a model line of compact cars that was manufactured by Ford from the 1978 to 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont marked the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America. Slotted between the Pinto and Granada within the Ford line, Lincoln-Mercury sold the line as the Mercury Zephyr. In contrast to its predecessor, which was only available as a two- or four-door sedan, the model line was offered as a two-door notchback sedan, two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door station wagon.
The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. In its original form, the platform was used through the 1993 model year; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company.
The Ford Elite is a personal luxury car produced by Ford and marketed in North American from February 1974 to 1976, using the name Gran Torino Elite for its first model year only then simplified to just Elite for the following two model years.
The Ford EXP is a sports compact coupe produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company in North America for the 1982 to 1988 model years. The EXP debuted at the 1981 Chicago Auto Show. It shared many mechanical components with the contemporary Ford Escort.
The Ford LTD II is an automobile produced and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 in the United States and Canada. Deriving its name from the full-sized Ford LTD model line, the intermediate LTD II consolidated the Ford Torino and Gran Torino model lines, with the Ford Elite replaced by the Ford Thunderbird. Offered in a two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and station wagon, the LTD II also served as a basis for the final generation of the Ford Ranchero coupe utility.
San Jose Assembly was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing site in Northern California, outside of San Jose in what is now the town of Milpitas. It was the automaker's primary factory in that region from 1955 to 1983, replacing the Richmond Assembly facility. Numerous vehicles were produced at the plant including the Ford Falcon, Ford Maverick and Ford Mustang. It was also the West Coast manufacturing location of the Ford Fairlane, Ford Torino, Ford Pinto, Ford Escort and the short lived Edsel Ranger and Edsel Pacer. Mercury products such as the Mustang-based Cougar, Montego, Comet, Bobcat, Capri and the Lynx were also assembled there. Ford F-series trucks were produced there, from shortly after the inception of the plant until its closure in 1983.
The Continental Mark series is a series of personal luxury cars that was produced by Ford Motor Company. The nomenclature came into use with the Continental Mark II for 1956, which was a successor to the Lincoln Continental of 1939–1948. Following the discontinuation of the Mark II, Ford continued the use of the Mark series on Continental-branded vehicles from 1958 to 1960.
Atlanta Assembly was an automobile factory owned by Ford Motor Company in Hapeville, Georgia. The Atlanta Assembly plant was opened on December 1, 1947. Harbour Consulting rated it as the most efficient auto plant in North America in 2006. As part of The Way Forward plan, the plant was closed on October 27, 2006. Prior to the operation of this assembly plant, Ford operated another assembly plant and offices on Ponce de Leon Avenue near the old Sears headquarters building, in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood just northeast of Downtown Atlanta.
St. Thomas Assembly was an automobile plant located in Southwold, Ontario, Canada, close to the Talbotville community and to the nearby city of St. Thomas. The 2,600,000 sq ft (240,000 m2) facility, situated on a 635 acres (2.57 km2) site, opened in 1967, building the Ford Falcon. Flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) capable of operating on ethanol fuel were manufactured there during the later years of the assembly plant. Ford's plans for sustainability and reduction of fossil fuel consumption relied on the St. Thomas Plant and its Lincoln Town Car vehicles for years. It also produced the final Mercury vehicle, a Mercury Grand Marquis, after Ford decided to discontinue the Mercury brand after the 2011 model year.
Lorain Assembly was a Ford Motor Company factory in Lorain, Ohio. The plant opened in 1958 and closed in 2005, having produced approximately 8,000,000 vehicles under 13 model names. Production of the plant's final product, the E-Series, moved to Ohio Assembly in Avon Lake.
The North American version of the Ford Granada is a range of sedans that was manufactured and marketed by Ford over two generations (1975–1982). Developed as the original successor for the Ford Maverick, the Granada shares its name with Ford of Europe's flagship sedan. The model line was marketed as a luxury compact vehicle, expanding the segment in the United States.
The second generation Ford Thunderbird was produced by Ford for the 1958 to 1960 model years as a successor to the popular 1955–1957 two-seater. In response to Ford-conducted surveys two major changes were made to attract potential buyers: two rear seats were added and the level of luxury and features of a full-sized car were incorporated into a mid-size platform.
The eighth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from the 1980 to 1982 model years. Introduced to commemorate the 25th year of the Thunderbird, the eighth generation was substantially downsized, transitioning further into the mid-size segment. For a second generation, the Thunderbird remained the Ford counterpart of the Mercury Cougar XR7; while the Cougar again served as a complete line of mid-sized cars in various body styles, the Thunderbird was offered solely as a two-door personal luxury coupe.
The ninth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 1983 to 1988 model years. In response to the sales downturn of the 1980–1982 Thunderbird, the Thunderbird underwent an extensive model revision for the 1983 model year. While remaining a personal luxury coupe, the redesign of the Thunderbird marked a transition of the model range, emphasizing performance and handling over outright luxury and comfort content. As a central theme of the design, the ninth-generation Thunderbird marks the introduction of highly aerodynamic body design to Ford vehicles in North America, followed by similarly designed model lines, including the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO, 1984 Ford Tempo, 1986 Ford Aerostar, and 1986 Ford Taurus.
Los Angeles Assembly was a former American Ford Motor Company assembly plant located at 8820 Washington Boulevard and Rosemead Boulevard, in Pico Rivera, southwestern Los Angeles County, California.
Edison Assembly, also known as Metuchen Assembly, was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant in Edison, New Jersey. It was located at 939 U.S. Route 1 and occupied over 100 acres when it was open. The factory began operations in 1948 and closed on February 27, 2004. Several popular Ford products were manufactured there, such as the Ford Mustang, Ford Ranger, and the Ford Pinto. When the plant opened, it manufactured the new Mercury branded and Lincoln vehicles. It was one of three Ford manufacturing facilities in New Jersey and was built two years before the Mahwah Assembly plant was opened in 1950.
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