Ford announces $8.4b push into American EV production

Ford Motor Company is investing about US$5 billion (NZ$8.4b) as part of a new electric vehicle platform, assembly process and midsize electric pickup roll out.

The company says this will create or secure nearly 4000 jobs across its Louisville Assembly Plant and BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.

The new Ford Universal EV Platform will underpin a family of affordable, software-defined electric vehicles designed for scale.

The first will be a midsize, four-door electric pickup, targeting a starting price of about US$30,000, to be built at Louisville Assembly Plant for US and export markets from 2027. A hatchback, crossover, van and a three-bench SUV are expected to follow, all starting for much the same price.

The company’s new scalable platform could also open up the potential for a new range of small cars, like Fiesta and Focus.

Company boss Jim Farley says it’s another “Model T moment” for Ford.

“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership – and do it with American workers,” he says.

Farley says the team was empowered to rethink the assembly process entirely, creating the Ford Universal EV Production System – a reimagined approach that uses three sub-assembly lines instead of a traditional conveyor, improving safety, quality and speed.

“We tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one. And we found a path to be the first automaker to make prismatic LFP batteries in the U.S.,” Farley says.

The new platform reduces parts by 20% compared with a typical vehicle, has 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations and can be assembled 15% faster. It will use lithium iron phosphate prismatic batteries that are cobalt- and nickel-free, serving as both a structural component and the vehicle floor, lowering the centre of gravity and increasing space.

Ford chief EV, digital and design officer Doug Field says the team took inspiration from the Model T – “the universal car that changed the world”.

“We assembled a really brilliant collection of minds across Ford and unleashed them to find new solutions to old problems. We applied first principles engineering, pushing to the limits of physics to make it fun to drive and compete on affordability.”

Ford is investing nearly US$2b in the Louisville plant, securing 2,200 jobs, alongside its US$3b investment in BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, where the LFP batteries will be made.