Platform-Based Product Family Development

Nearly a century ago, Ford Motor Company was producing Model T’s in, as Henry Ford has been quoted, “any color you want—so long as it’s black”. Today, customers can select from more than 3.8 million different varieties of Ford cars based on model type, exterior and interior paint color, and packages and options listed on

http://www.fordvehicles.com/

. And that does not even include the staggering array of choices available with Ford’s minivans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles, or any of the models offered under Ford Motor Company’s “global family of brands”, namely, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, or Aston Martin. Ford is not alone as nearly every automotive manufacturer produces a wide variety of vehicles so that nearly every customer can find one that meets his/her specific needs. And it is not only in the automotive industry—consumers can purchase a nearly endless variety of goods and services: bicycles, motorcycles, appliances, computers, audio and video equipment, clothes, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, software, banking and financial services, telecommunications services, and travel services.