How many 1931 Fords were made?
Approximately 1,000,000 Ford Model A cars were produced in 1931, though estimates vary between about 900,000 and 1.2 million depending on the source. This figure reflects the Model A’s dominant role in Ford’s auto output that year.
To understand this question more fully, it’s important to recognize what is being counted. In 1931, Ford’s most produced car was the Model A, the successor to the Model T. The number most often cited for 1931 refers specifically to Model A passenger cars and their immediate variants. If you widen the scope to include all Ford automobiles produced that year (including commercial vehicles and exports that fall under the Model A umbrella or related bodies), totals can differ slightly by counting method. Overall, the Model A generation—produced from 1927 through 1931—represented a mass-market run totaling about 4.3 million units, illustrating Ford’s manufacturing scale during late the 1920s and early 1930s.
Context: Ford’s Model A era
The Model A was Ford’s big leap after the Model T, introduced in 1927 and produced through 1931. It offered modern features for its time and helped Ford recapture the mainstream market during an era of rapid automotive growth. By the end of 1931, the Model A line had become the backbone of Ford’s automobile production, including sedans, coupes, roadsters, and commercial bodies.
How to read the numbers and what they mean
Counts for 1931 Fords depend on counting conventions. Some sources report calendar-year production of Model A passenger cars, while others aggregate Model A variants by model year, export markets, or include light trucks and commercial bodies that were built on the same platform. Because of these differences, you’ll often see the 1931 figure framed as a rough estimate rather than an exact tally. Automotive historians and archives commonly cite roughly one million units for 1931 Model A passenger cars, with the broader Model A production running to about 4.3 million across 1927–1931.
Sources and reliability
Researchers frequently rely on Ford's own archival records, factory ledgers, and contemporary company literature to reconstruct annual outputs. Enthusiast clubs, historical societies, and museum collections (notably the Henry Ford Museum) also compile tallies based on factory documentation and production logs. Because record-keeping from the era varied and some counts include export models or multiple body types, numbers are best understood as well-supported estimates rather than a single definitive tally.
Summary
The short answer: about one million 1931 Model A cars were produced, with broader Model A production from 1927 to 1931 totaling roughly 4.3 million units. The exact 1931 figure depends on counting methods—calendar year vs. model year, and whether you include all Model A variants or only passenger cars. For precise figures, archival Ford records and automotive history sources are the most reliable reference points.
