Posted on 02/07/2019 12:38:04 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Ford said Thursday it will hire 500 workers and invest $1 billion in its Chicago assembly operations to help keep up with booming demand for sport and crossover-utility vehicles.
The announcement comes on the heels of cross-town rival GM axing 4,000 workers, and is part of the $11 billion restructuring Ford announced last fall that includes dropping all passenger car models except the iconic Mustang. It is shifting resources to light trucks, like those it is building in the Windy City.
The Chicago Assembly and Stamping Plants currently build both the full-size Taurus sedan and Explorer SUV. The Taurus will be dropped as part of Fords move out of passenger cars, but the Explorer is enjoying a level of growth it hasnt experienced in decades.
The investment plan will allow Ford to expand capacity for the Explorer as well as the new Explorer Police Interceptor it is launching. Ford has traditionally dominated the market for police vehicles and expects the Interceptor which debuted last month at the Detroit Auto Show to expand its hold....
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
I’d go for one of the Mad Max Pursuit Specials.
Last of the V8s!
Still ain’t buying one!
Gross corporate mismanagement to put that kind of investment in a state like Illinois.
It would be much more cost effective to build the plant just to the east of downtown Chicago.
Wonder if Ford will buyout Harley-D? Rumor recently.
TAKE THAT GM!
Go Ford!
That said, my patronage is Ford's to lose.
” I’m willing to give GM another chance if only to help President Trump’s economy.”
???
The President of GM is CLOSING PLANTS, deliberately trying to hurt Trump and American workers!
Looking forward to seeing the Explorer ST
That said, I wouldn't be surprised if you were correct about why. I'm a long way from buying a new car, so there's plenty of time for the truth to come out.
OK.
Try an American made Honda, Subaru or Toyota. No Union crap at those plants...
(I was a Longshoreman for four years and despise unions).
I’ll consider that too when the time comes.
I understand.
Bought a new Honda about a year ago to to a game of car ping-pong with a deer last January (’18).
The deer lost.
Get rid of the Taurus - second time around.
Kind of ironic that they decided that trucks/SUVs are the way to go...most trucks come with the really substantial rebates/discounts so folks will buy them and trucks and SUVs are what everyone thought was going to the wayside when the Dems were destroying the energy manufactures...how things change.
“Gross corporate mismanagement to put that kind of investment in a state like Illinois”
The share price of Ford stock backs up your statement. Next up share holders is dividend cuts is my guess.
I’d settle for a modest price SUV from Ford that can handle a dicey Forest Service road as well as an old ‘08 Explorer — or deep snow as well as a Subaru Outback.
Ford kinda lost me when they turned the Explorer into a mall-finder — and then created multiple other models with similar incapabilities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.