Automotive manufacturing giant Ford Motor Co. recently announced plans to invest $95 million in the company’s Kansas City Assembly Plant to boost production of both the Transit and E-Transit vans. The new investment is expected to create 1,100 new jobs in the region.
“Today’s announcement is great news for our state,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson. “For more than 70 years, hardworking Missourians have assembled iconic Ford vehicles. Now, these 1,100 new hourly jobs at the Kansas City Assembly Plant will increase production of the Transit and E-Transit commercial vans, driving Missouri’s economy forward.”
The announcement is part of a larger investment by Ford geared toward increasing electric vehicle production. Earlier this year, Ford executives announced that they had received more than 10,000 orders for the E-Transit van.
“We’re really at this inflection point where everybody’s talking about it and interested,” said E-Transit Brand Manager Drew Walker. “They’re trying to understand, especially in the commercial space, how could I deploy electric vehicles in my business?”
Walker said Ford has an advantage over the competition because the E-Transit uses many of the same parts as the company’s internal-combustion Transit van, which has long outsold all other commercial vans in the U.S.
“We’re really leveraging our scale, our ability to get to market quickly, as well as support the vehicle, once it’s in market,” Walker said.
For years, Missouri talent has driven automotive manufacturing into the future with significant investment from Ford and GM.
Whether it’s Ford’s award winning F-150’s and Transit vans, or the more than $1 billion investment by GM in Wentzville, Missouri – our state is a world leader in automotive manufacturing and talent.
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