Ford investing $1.6B in Livonia Transmission plant, Ohio Assembly Plant

Money going to Livonia transmission plant, Ohio Assembly Plant

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Co. is spending $1.6 billion to upgrade two U.S. plants for new products.

Ford said Tuesday it's investing $1.4 billion in its Livonia, Michigan, transmission plant to build a new 10-speed transmission. The company says it will create or retain 500 hourly jobs at the plant to make the transmission, which will debut later this year on the F-150 Raptor.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford is also investing $200 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant to build Super Duty chassis cabs, which are used for commercial vehicles. Ford says it will create or retain 150 jobs at that plant.

UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles said he is "thrilled."

“I am thrilled that through our collective bargaining with Ford we were able to secure a substantial investment for the communities of southeast Michigan and northeast Ohio," Settles said in a statement. "The men and women of both Livonia Transmission and Ohio Assembly have shown a great commitment to manufacturing quality products, and we look forward to their continued success.”

Ford said the projects are part of its commitment to invest $9 billion in U.S. plants over the next four years.

Read: Ford has 10-year plan to transform Dearborn campus