Did Kentucky really miss out on another manufacturing plant?
This Ford Focus facility, unlike the fake battery plant, was totally ignored here in the Commonwealth.
Ford Motor Company will turn the now-vacant Michigan Truck Plant into the new home of the automaker’s new fuel efficient, global vehicle.
Governor Granholm joined Ford executives in announcing details of a $550 million investment in the former Michigan Truck Plant Wednesday morning.
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Louisville, Kentucky and locations in Europe were also vying for the project.
Why wasn’t there a press event to mention that Louisville was being considered for a new Ford Focus plant? What’d we do wrong again? Why aren’t our Economic Development experts remaining in place in light of these most recent misses? Because we’d love to land some new manufacturing jobs.
Michigan, again, has apparently beat us to the punch.
7 responses so far ↓
1 JasonL // May 6, 2009 at 3:37 pm
But we have the Lincoln Navigators and Ford Excursions (both dying breeds) to build!
2 David Harpe // May 6, 2009 at 4:35 pm
According to this:
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/cjb04/2008_07_01_archive.html
…our plant will be converted to make Ford Focus-ish cars by 2011. Ford is converting a number of plants to do this function. We got Michigan’s truck business to make way for their conversion to a Focus plant.
3 David Harpe // May 6, 2009 at 4:40 pm
A better link directly from Ford:
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=28660
4 intheknow // May 6, 2009 at 6:44 pm
remember, larry hayes (beshear’s chief of staff) has been overseeing economic development for months. he wants it permanently.
5 Crutnacker // May 6, 2009 at 8:08 pm
My understanding was that Louisville might be getting their smaller vehicle, the Fiesta (Verve concept).
6 David Harpe // May 6, 2009 at 8:41 pm
It’s really not a story. Ford is just executing the plan they announced a year ago. Nothing different. We didn’t lose anything. No clue why the reporter in the WXYZ article said other cities were “vying” for the project.
Other reports from Detroit Free Press, AP, etc. don’t mention it in any type of “competition” context…just that Michigan was the first of several plants to be converted.
This CNN story reports it correctly, similar to everyone else:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/06/autos/ford_focus_plant/?postversion=2009050611
7 Thunder Storm // May 6, 2009 at 11:53 pm
This is a local Detroit TV station. Don’t see how they can be so misinformed, maybe some of these competition points were left out of the other stories after the final decisions were made. Text from the story, you decide:
WAYNE, Mich. (WXYZ) – Ford Motor Company will turn the now-vacant Michigan Truck Plant into the new home of the automaker’s new fuel efficient, global vehicle.
IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHT, WATCH ACTION NEWS REPORT FOLLOWED BY FORD’S ENTIRE ANNOUNCEMENT
Governor Granholm joined Ford executives in announcing details of a $550 million investment in the former Michigan Truck Plant Wednesday morning.
The plant will be renamed the Michigan Assembly Plant and will produce the first redesigned Ford Focus cars.
Now, the first of Ford’s small, global platform vehicles is due to come off the assembly line late in 2010.
The plant will also build a new battery-electric version of the Focus for the North American market, which is expected to debut in 2011.
An estimated 3,200 jobs will be created in Michigan because of the plant conversion
Tuesday, Ford received unanimous approval for a series of tax credits from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
It allows the project to go forward, and keeps the investment and jobs in Michigan.
Louisville, Kentucky and locations in Europe were also vying for the project.
The Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator were formerly produced at the Michigan Truck Plant. The plant ceased production in November of last year.
It’s good news for workers, the city of Wayne and local businesses.
The city of Wayne has also provided tax abatements in support of the project.
Ford will also get tax incentives for convincing suppliers to locate in Michigan in support of the plant.
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