LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Tuesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement after Ford announced a $850 million investment in the company’s Rouge Factory in Dearborn and Van Dyke Plant in Sterling Heights, creating and retaining a total of 725 Michigan jobs and reaffirming Michigan’s continued global leadership in automotive manufacturing and future mobility and electrification:
“This announcement is good news for our families, our hardworking UAW members, and our economy as a whole. Ford’s latest investment will create hundreds of new, good-paying jobs for Michigan workers and help us solidify our status as the automotive capital of the world,” Governor Whitmer said. “Since I was sworn in as governor, we have brought in historic investments to our auto plants, creating more than 12,000 Michigan jobs. I am proud to see that work continue today. As governor of the state that put the world on wheels and is now building the next generation of transportation, I am proud to work with Ford and every business that wants to invest in Michigan.”
Tuesday, Ford announced that it is investing about $150 million in the Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights to make e-motors and e-transaxles for new electric vehicles, including the all-electric F-150. This will retain 225 jobs.
Ford is also increasing production plans for the fully electric F-150 at the Rouge Plant in Dearborn, adding 200 permanent jobs in addition to a previously announced 300 jobs as part of a $700 million investment in building the all-new F-150 and all-electric F-150.
The announcement builds on a $1.45 billion investment in southeast Michigan announced at the end of 2019 to support production of Ford’ new electrified variants of its F-150 truck series and create a new vehicle modification center where Ford’s first autonomous vehicles will be completed.
That announcement included the creation of 3,000 new jobs.
