With the Ford Model T as the focal point, a page at thehenryford.org guides students on how to create innovations relevant to society. In its time, the Ford Model T signified a path-breaking technological innovation. Its success, however, is the result of other factors clicking into place — one of them being social — at the same time. The fact that we are close to the day — October 1 (1908) — when the first production Model T rolled off the assembly line at Ford’s plant at Piquette Avenue, Detroit, is good reason to discuss these factors. As part of the exercise, let me draw parallels between Ford Model T and two other cars that also had these factors going for them — Volkswagen Beetle (officially the Volkswagen Type I) and Maruti 800.
The Ford Model T was meant to conquer the world, and it did, well almost. However, for the American, it also reinforced his faith in the American Dream. In this car, he found a powerful expression of one of the five principles of this Dream — opportunity. The opportunity to buy comfort at an affordable price. The car arrived on the promise of bringing four wheels well within the financial reach of the common man, and Henry Ford delivered on the promise.
Vintage car enthousiasts drive different editions of the Ford Model T car on a road near Bad Teinach-Zavelstein close to Tuebingen, southern Germany, during a Ford Model T vintage car meeting on August 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Christoph Schmidt / Germany OUT
Similarly, beyond the attractive financial factor, a political element was attached to the Volkswagen Beetle. The people’s car project, as reflected in its name Volkswagen, was on from 1934 to 1938, and during this period, Adolf Hitler was establishing himself as more than Chancellor of Germany. He was going to be a guide — an idea enshrined in the title ‘fuhrer’. Through the Volkswagen, he was essentially telling the nation that he would lead them to a better life. He didn’t and that’s a different story. Maruti had its genesis in the mind of Sanjay Gandhi, in the 1970s, as a people’s car. A company was also formed, but it ran into rough weather, even before this grand idea could germinate. After Sanjay’s tragic death, it was revived. Maruti Udyog Limited was formed, and in 1983, Maruti 800 hit the road. It arrived at a time when the average Indian’s aspirations were growing. Liberalisation of the Indian economy began in the early 1990s, leading to greater exposure to the modern and increasingly technological world outside. However, even in the 1980s, a hunger for the new had set in.
Doordarshan reaching a wider audience through its national broadcast had a role in this. There were a few, but sufficient programmes — Different Strokes, for instance — training us to be more global in outlook and expectation. The Maruti 800 seemed to travel alongside this growing expectation. The Hindustan Ambassador was based on the British Morris Oxford Series III and the Premier Padmini on the Italian Fiat 1100, but these cars had been part of the landscape, and the Indian car enthusiast was looking for something more strikingly global and Indian at the same time. So, the Japanese technology wheeled in by Suzuki Motor Corporation, seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
Complete Maruti 800 (796cc) cars are parked at the sales and despatch area at the factory of Maruti Udhyog Limited (MUL) in Gurgaon, Haryana on December 12, 2008 on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Maruti Suzuki. Twenty-five years ago, on December 14, 1983, Maruti Suzuki was born, as their first 'Maruti 800' car rolled out of the company's assembly line in Gurgaon. This iconic car has sold over 27,36,000 units (2.7 million cars) and remains a dream for millions in India, even today. AFP PHOTO /Prakash SINGH
All the three cars benefited from the first-mover advantage. In their core markets, they were the first representatives of the idea of an affordable people’s car, with the added advantage of new technology. Besides that, the vision statements had a powerful impact.
While announcing the Model T project, Henry Ford crammed into a short statement, positive answers to all the questions an average buyer would have. Here’s a gist of it: The car would be simple in design, but built with the best materials and by the best men in the business. The car would be small so it could be easily maintained, but large enough for an average-sized family. And, in the Volkswagen, the name said it all.
For the Indian accustomed to the Ambassador and the Premier Padmini, the Maruti 800, with its front-wheel drive and amazingly quick pick-up, was a huge change. The Ambassador and the Padmini had a rear-wheel-drive layout.
Complete Maruti 800 (796cc) cars are parked at the sales and despatch area at the factory of Maruti Udhyog Limited (MUL) in Gurgaon, Haryana on December 12, 2008 on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Maruti Suzuki. Twenty-five years ago, on December 14, 1983, Maruti Suzuki was born, as their first 'Maruti 800' car rolled out of the company's assembly line in Gurgaon. This iconic car has sold over 27,36,000 units (2.7 million cars) and remains a dream for millions in India, even today. AFP PHOTO /Prakash SINGH
Similarly, Volkswagen Beetle was being fitted with a rear engine, when this technology was found in only a few other cars. The first car to be mass-produced on the assembly line — this was quite something for the Ford Model T buyer to chew on. That takes care of the technological factor. And then, the cultural factor.
When something draws sustained attention, sometimes good and sometimes bad, it has entered a cultural landscape that will not fade away with time. Jokes putting the Ford Model T in a less flattering light are aplenty.
But, there are any number of books about what makes this car special. The Volkswagen Type I has also attracted humorists, most of them part-timers, but it has had the last laugh. The success of Herbie the Love Bug shows how loved this car is, the world over.
