• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • EV Sales Growing Fast, But Stellantis CEO Tavares Warns of “Many Bumps” Along the Way
  • Stellantis Plowing $2.5B into New Indiana Battery Plant
  • Hyundai Recalling 281K Vehicles Due to Exploding Seat Belt Part
  • How Far is Up? Mercedes Teases New Maybach and Mythos Roadsters
  • Honda Drops a Sneak Peek of the All-New 2023 CR-V
  • Rising Gas Prices Slowing Americans from Driving This Holiday Weekend
  • The Headlight News Podcast Offers the Latest News about New Cars, EVs and More
  • Average U.S. Automobile is Now a Record 12.2 Years Old
  • Opinion: It’s Time for Elon Musk to Take a Break
  • U-M Warns of Rough Road in 2023-24 for Auto Industry
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW 230i Coupe
    • First Impression: 2022 Audi RS e-tron GT
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line 4Motion
    • A Week With: 2022 Kia Forte GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis GV60
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Ford Investing $100M to Convert Kansas City Line to Build E-Transit Van

        Ford Investing $100M to Convert Kansas City Line to Build E-Transit Van

        Move follows GM’s plan to hire 3,000 to speed up its own EV program.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Nov. 10, 2020
        Ford will build an all-electric version of the Transit van at its plant outside Kansas City.

        Ford Motor Co. today announced plans to build its E-Transit van at its assembly plant outside Kansas City, Missouri, investing $100 million to prepare the factory for the battery-electric van.

        It also will hire 350 workers at that factory and another in suburban Detroit set to assemble an all-electric version of the F-150 pickup. The new electric van is set to make its debut Thursday, officials noted.

        The announcement comes just a day after General Motors revealed plans to hire 3,000 workers, most of them software engineers, to help speed up its own battery-car program. Detroit’s automakers, in general, have been ramping up their electrification programs, Fiat Chrysler last month agreeing to spend $1.5 billion on a Windsor, Ontario plant to convert it to build EVs as part of a settlement with its Canadian union.

        (GM adding 3,000 tech jobs to accelerate vehicle development.)

        The new Mustang Mach-E is set to arrive in showrooms before the end of this year.

        Ford’s latest news is part of an $11.5 billion electrification program that will, among other things, see it develop an all-electric version of its classic muscle car, the new Mustang Mach-E, which will become its first long-range model.

        “We’re taking our most iconic vehicles and using fully electric technology to deliver even more performance, productivity and capability for customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, president, Americas and International Markets Group. “We are building out the North American manufacturing footprint to support this growth. This is just the first chapter with more new electric vehicles and more investment to come.”

        The Ford plant in Claycomo, Missouri will not only undergo a $100 million investment to allow it to produce the E-Transit, but also add 150 full-time jobs. Another 200 workers will be hired at the Ford Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, set to produce the electric F-150. That will be on top of a previously announced 300 jobs for the pickup plant, which will undergo a $700 million update.

        Ford also revealed Tuesday that it will spend $150 million to tool up a component plant in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights to produce electric motors and transaxles.

        Ford builds the ICE-powered Transit on its own line at the Kansas City plant.

        Each of the Detroit manufacturers has been taking its own approach to battery power. GM, notably, is “on a path to an all-electric future,” according to CEO Mary Barra, with plans to produce 20 or more all-electric models by 2023.

        (Ford turns $2.4 billion net profit for Q3 2020.)

        Ford, however, is developing a mix of hybrid, plug-in and pure battery-electric vehicles, or HEVs, PHEVs and BEVs. It is launching several plug-in hybrids, starting with versions of the Lincoln Nautilus and Aviator SUVs.

        It confirmed today that it will add a fourth BEV which will be assembled at its Cuautitlan, Mexico plant alongside the Ford Mustang Mach-E. While it did not offer specific details, the company did say that this new model will “share a similar electrified platform” with the Mach-E.

        Like most manufacturers, Ford is now relying on skateboard-like “architectures” for its BEVs, with batteries, motors and other key components mounted below the load floor. That saves space for passengers and cargo while also lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity to improve handling.

        Ford is investing $700 million at its Rouge complex to build a new electric-vehicle plant.

        In a statement, Ford described the developments to date as part of the “first wave” of its electrification program. It has a number of additional, battery-based vehicles in development, including one that will be assembled at a factory in Oakville, Ontario starting in 2024. The automaker plans to invest C$1.8 billion, or US$1.35 billion, to prepare that line for the project.

        “We are investing heavily in our vehicle programs as well as building out our manufacturing capabilities,” said Hau Thai-Tang, chief product platform and operations officer. “This will allow us to scale quickly as customer interest in these new products grows.”

        (Ford investing $700M to set up EV plant at historic Rouge complex.)

        While sales of all forms of electrified vehicles will account for barely 5% of the U.S. market this year, industry analysts and planners expect that to accelerate rapidly this decade as more new products come to market in new segments. The increase also will be fueled by declining prices and the expansion of the U.S. public charging network.

        Recently Published
        Carlos Tavares v3 3-1-22

        EV Sales Growing Fast, But Stellantis CEO Tavares Warns of “Many Bumps” Along the Way

        Yesterday
        Stellantis Samsung SDI Kokomo

        Stellantis Plowing $2.5B into New Indiana Battery Plant

        Yesterday
        2022 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

        Hyundai Recalling 281K Vehicles Due to Exploding Seat Belt Part

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: