The commitment is growing to electric vehicles and self-driving technology. Two plants in southeast Michigan are part of Ford’s strategy. The company recently announced investing more than $1.45 billion in these two facilities.
The plant in Wayne, Michigan will complete Ford’s first autonomous vehicles starting in 2021. This includes installing the self-driving technology and interiors specifically designed to work with the new capabilities. The company says, “This will be the first center of its kind for Ford and will drive synergies with the company’s existing AV research functions in Dearborn and Detroit.”
Ford’s Dearborn plant will be adding to the company’s electrification strategy, producing both a F-150 hybrid and fully electric F-150. The investment also includes a new operation where battery cells will be assembled into a battery pack for these two trucks. Ford will debut the all-new F-150 and F-150 hybrid in 2020. They say the fully electric Ford F-150 is scheduled to be revealed “soon after.” Ford says they’ve invested more than $11.5 billion globally on electrified vehicle.
Along with all this forward-thinking technology, an iconic name from the past will also take the spotlight in 2020. Ford plans to reveal the all-new Bronco in the spring. They describe it as an “off-road SUV”. The Bronco will be built alongside the Ford Ranger at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant.
