Congresswoman Debbie Dingell applauded Ford’s announcement that the company will invest $900 million and add 900 incremental direct new jobs in Southeast Michigan, including an $850 million investment at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Ford’s investment will support battery electric architecture and next-generation Mustang production, as well as establish an autonomous vehicle manufacturing center in Southeast Michigan.
DEARBORN, MI – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today applauded Ford’s announcement that the company will invest $900 million and add 900 incremental direct new jobs in Southeast Michigan, including an $850 million investment at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Ford’s investment will support battery electric architecture and next-generation Mustang production, as well as establish an autonomous vehicle manufacturing center in Southeast Michigan.
“Workers at Flat Rock, like all of Michigan’s auto workers, are the best in the world. My district is not only home to Ford’s World Headquarters and research and development in Dearborn, but also the Flat Rock plant producing their best, hottest products. The Mustang is the pride of American roads, and exported around the world. Ford’s investment in creating hundreds of new jobs reaffirms their confidence in the US workforce. Creating a next-generation electric vehicle shows Ford’s vision for building not only the energy of the future, but also the workforce.
“If we want to get to a carbon-less society, electric vehicles are how we get there. Producing electric vehicles at Flat Rock moves us forward. We all have to work together to get them on the road. Consumers need confidence when they buy an electric vehicle that they can charge when they need to and get to where they are going. Our challenge remains to do everything we can – together – to develop the infrastructure and to invest in research and development on more affordable, higher-capacity, and longer range batteries to build consumer confidence and keep Michigan at the forefront of innovation and technology. Ford is investing in next-generation battery electric vehicles. Now we must make sure we have the electric vehicle infrastructure on our roads and in our communities to support them.
“We need to support building consumer confidence in the safety of autonomous vehicles. One way we do that is develop the regulatory framework to ensure safety and responsibility. Congress needs to act. Other countries are developing this now, and if we want America to stay at the forefront of being the mobility leader we need to get together on this. The US must continue to be a leader in innovation and bring these new technologies safely to market and build consumer confidence. Delay in such action is resulting in autonomous vehicle being developed and produced at a slower pace in the US and is significantly contributing to the lack of consumer confidence. Ford’s establishment of an autonomous vehicle manufacturing center puts Southeast Michigan at the center of the future of mobility.
“This is a great announcement and I look forward to continue working with Ford to support auto workers and the future of mobility.”
