Ford Motor Company announced today that its Michigan Assembly Plant that formerly produced such vehicles as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Bronco will begin retooling to produce the new Ford Focus.
Michigan Assembly
Formerly known as the Michigan Truck Plant, the Michigan Assembly Plant opened in 1957 as the Wayne Station Wagon Plant, building (among other things) Mercury Colony Park station wagon bodies that were later assembled at the Wayne Assembly plant which is located next door.
In 1964, the plant began producing F-Series trucks and, in 1966, it began production of Ford’s first SUV, the Bronco. 1997 saw production switch to both the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator and things sailed merrily along until the summer of 2008 brought $4 gas followed by a crashing economy.
European Focus S
A new mission
In August of 2008, Ford announced that Michigan Assembly would be shut down in November and that the company would be investing $75 million in the body shop to streamline conversion to small vehicle production and that the new C-segment Focus would begin production there in 2010.
Today, Ford Motor Company revealed that it will be investing an addition $550 million to transform the former truck plant into a state-of-the-art, flexible small car plant.
European Focus ECOnetic
But wait, there’s more
In addition to building the next-generation Focus in 2010, the plant is also slated to build a battery-electric version of the Focus – the company’s first all-electric passenger car – which will debut in 2011. All told, the new plant, after consolidation with Wayne Assembly, will employ nearly 3,200 employees.
“The transformation of Michigan Assembly Plant embodies the larger transformation under way at Ford,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “This is about investing in modern, efficient and flexible American manufacturing. It is about fuel economy and the electrification of vehicles. It is about leveraging our expertise and vehicle platforms around the world and partnering with the UAW to deliver best-in-class global small cars. It is about skilled and motivated teams working together in new ways to create the future of automobile manufacturing in the United States.”
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European Focus RS
Focus BEV
The new Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is currently being developed in partnership with Canadian-based Magna International. The vehicle will feature a high-voltage electric motor that is powered by a Lithium Ion battery pack that is capable of receiving a charge from either a 110-volt or 220-volt electrical source.
“We’re changing from a company focused mainly on trucks and SUVs to a company with a balanced product lineup that includes even more high-quality, fuel-efficient small cars, hybrids and all-electric vehicles,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “As customers move to more fuel-efficient vehicles, we’ll be there with more of the products they really want.”
Also on tap is a battery electric version of the Transit Connect for 2010, a next-generation hybrid vehicle in 2012 as well as a plug-in hybrid vehicle slated for 2012.
