DETROIT, MI - Ford Motor Co. is returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 with its all-new GT supercar, first revealed in Detroit last January.

Company Chairman Bill Ford, president and CEO Mark Fields and group vice president of global product development Raj Nair made the announcement from the site of the race in Le Mans, France on Friday.

"This vehicle, really from the very beginning, was born to race," Bill Ford said in a live-streamed press conference.

The arrival of the Ford GT in 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Blue Oval repeated its victory in the race in 1967, 1968 and 1969.

Drivers for the 2016 races have not yet been announced.

But what makes the GT a viable contender, is its compact package of light-weighting, performance and efficiency, Nair said Friday.

The body of the car has been crafted with carbon fiber composites, and Nair said designers paid special focus to aerodynamics on the GT, which has a kind of fuselage shape to its passenger compartment.

It's being powered by Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, which debuted in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014. Ford said the engine has helped it capture wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The Le Mans GT Endurance class for professional teams and drivers is one of several stops the Ford GT will make on its racing circuit in 2016. It will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, making its competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Florida.

There will be two Ford teams led by by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, known as CGRFS. Both series teams intend to compete with four cars at Le Mans.

Ford introduced the world to the all-new, production GT at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January. Bill Ford said it would be a "halo" on the Dearborn automaker's performance cars. Ford plans to release 12 new Ford Performance vehicles over the next five years.

The rear-wheel drive, mid-engine car's 3.5L EcoBoost V6 produces more than 600 horsepower.

The Ford GT will cost about $400,000, making it the most expensive car ever built by Ford Motor Co. Earlier this year, a spokesman for the Dearborn automaker said its competitors include the Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren 650S and Ferrari 458 Speciale.

David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter