Net income or loss of the Ford Motor Company 2007-2021

Net income attributable to Ford was almost 18 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, after the downward trend which led to a net loss in 2020. Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the company's largest markets, Ford's revenue contracted by 22 percent and fell to 127 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. 2021 marked a rebound in the company's financial performance, though revenues are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels.

Market acceptance woes

The year-on-year increase was mainly driven by a reduction of losses in South America and Europe by 75 and 82 percent respectively. Despite this high net income, other performance indicators slumped in 2021, in parts due to the global chip shortage affecting Ford's manufacturing plants and leading to the manufacturer halting its production. These factors seem indicative of low market acceptance: Vehicle wholesales fell from 4.2 million to around 3.9 million units between 2017 and 2020.

Costs outweigh earnings in times of crisis

Net income attributable to the Ford Motor Company has been very volatile over the course of the past decade. The Detroit car manufacturer produced net losses of almost 15 billion U.S. dollars in the wake of the 2008-09 financial crisis. However, recovery was relatively quick, and the automaker brought net income close to 16.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2011. In 2020, Ford was unable to avoid falling in the red, but recovered in 2021.