Ford Motor Co. announces major EV investment in Louisville plant

Ford Motor Company has announced a groundbreaking $1.9 billion investment to transform its Louisville Assembly Plant, marking the third-largest economic development project in the state's history.

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The massive commitment will introduce revolutionary manufacturing processes and secure 2,200 existing jobs while positioning Kentucky at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution.

This announcement centers on Ford's new electric vehicle-focused approach to auto manufacturing. The company is abandoning traditional assembly line concepts in favor of an "assembly tree" approach company reps say is designed to improve efficiency, ergonomics, and affordability.

"We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership – and do it with American workers," said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley.

The Louisville plant will serve as the launching pad for Ford's first vehicle built on the new platform: an all-new electric mid-size pickup truck. Ford expects it to start production in Q2 of 2027.

Governor Andy Beshear joined Ford leaders for Monday's big announcement, emphasizing the historic nature of the partnership, noting that "Ford and Kentucky have been a tremendous team for more than 100 years, and that partnership has never been stronger than it is today."

Ford's roots in Kentucky run deep, dating back to 1913 when the first Model T rolled off the production line in Louisville. Today, the company employs nearly 12,000 people in the commonwealth, works with 165 Kentucky-based suppliers, and purchases nearly $6 billion in products annually from local businesses, according to Beshear.

According to analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, Ford's Kentucky operations support approximately 120,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state and contribute more than $11.8 billion to state GDP, including over 48,000 jobs in the Louisville region specifically.

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