German auto brands have been using structural adhesives for something like 30 years.
Instead of using dozens of pinch welds, they'll use adhesives and a few select weld points to maintain the shape while the adhesives cure.
This was especially important when working with aluminum body structures that Audi helped pioneer for mass market use.
Fenders are still typically bolted on and not structural. Of course doors, trunk and hood are bolted hinges to allow for adjustment.
The only ladder style frames Ford use currently are in the pickups and pickup based large SUVs. It's the same at GM.
Ford has been using unibodies since the 1950s, on and off. The 1958 Continental below was an early unibody Ford product. At 5.8m long, 2m wide, 1.4m tall and weighing in at 2.5tonnes, it was an engineering challenge to be sure.
