Ford had a hard time getting a foothold in Germany. First, in 1926, there was only one assembly plant in Berlin, to avoid the high protective taxes laid on imported vehicles. Apart from that, Ford had ist own hire-puchase scheme for the stricken German consumers. 1927 saw the end of the first phase because the Model-T was taken off the market, it was only replaced nine months later by the Model-A.

The takeover of Opel by The General Motors Company encouraged Ford to push even harder for the German market. The Lord-Mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, who asserted himself for his home-town, against those favouring Frankfurt and Neuss, is said to have assisted Ford's breakthrough. Ford thus, had the honour of being the second largest automobile producer in the world. In the north of the city, in 1931, the factory was inaugurated, in the presence of Henry Ford himself.

Unfortunately, the economic reality was changed by the stock-market crash in 1929. This made it difficult to sell automobiles. Two years later, the Nazis came into power, although the burdens on the motor car drivers were lowered considerably, at the same time they also ostracized foreign products. The result can be seen here, their products were 'Germanized'.

Thus, the products made by the Ford Company were called the 'Köln', 'Taunus', 'Rheinland' und 'Eifel', and there was particular emphasis on the fact that they were produced and assembled in Germany. The production plant in Cologne, similar to that of the Opel works in the Ruhr-Area somewhat later, would, after the war, still clearly be attached the mother Company. Their historical conciousness was shown, e.g., by the revival of the 'Ford-Plum' (see the above Ford emblem) in 1976. 02/13