Ford plans to begin producing all-electric cars at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant south of Detroit, the company said Wednesday, adding about 900 jobs there over the next four years.

The Dearborn-based carmaker has said it will spend $11.1 billion on global electric vehicles and will build an all-electric performance SUV starting in 2020 at its Cuautitlan, Mexico, plant. Flat Rock will build vehicles from the company’s next-generation battery electric flexible architecture. The company did not say what those vehicles will be.

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of global operations, in an interview with the Free Press. "It will be a next generation battery electric vehicle."

The company has discussed an all-electric F-150 pickup with investors.

A news release said Ford plans to invest more than $850 million in the Flat Rock plant through 2023, adding a second shift. The plant investment also includes funding to build the next-generation Mustang and is the bulk of a $900 million investment in Ford’s operations in southeastern Michigan.

Electric vehicle production will begin in Flat Rock in 2023, Hinrichs said. Between now and then, the plant will require massive retooling and reconfiguration.

"One of the reasons we're announcing today is because we're starting to talk to suppliers," Hinrichs said. "So we want to be able to control the message. So we're going to start notifying suppliers of our plans and they'll start on their plans."

The plant, which builds the Mustang sports car, is scheduled to drop to one shift in April, with about 560 workers eligible to transfer to other locations and more than 400 workers classified as temporary have no assurance of transfer.

Most transfers will be to the Livonia Transmission Plant, Hinrichs said. The company said it is working to relocate all or most of its trained factory workers.

New Michigan robot car plant

Ford also said it will complete its first autonomous vehicles at a new AV manufacturing center in southeast Michigan, working from commercial-grade hybrid vehicles to add self-driving technology and new interiors.

The new AV manufacturing center will not be in Flat Rock, Hinrichs said, but he declined to provide a location other than to say southeast Michigan. "We're working with all our partners to make it happen."

Production of Ford’s first autonomous vehicles will begin in 2021 for deployment in commercial services to move people and goods.

"What you have is a commitment to invest $900 million in southeast Michigan and most in Flat Rock," Hinrichs said. "These are 900 new jobs."

What the company wants to clarify is that it had previously announced in 2017 making investment into Flat Rock for a different plan and jobs were tied to that. "Those plans have been changed, and this is a new plan," Hinrichs said. "When we launch battery electric vehicles, there will be 900 new jobs. That's good news. When we talk to our government officials at the state and national levels, there is a lot of excitement."

He said the company considered other options and went with Michigan.

UAW Vice President Rory Gamble said Ford’s $900 million in investments "sets up the Downriver Detroit facility to be the center of electric vehicles for years to come. As we transition to new technology and future products, Flat Rock through this investment is well positioned to be a world leader for decades to come in auto industry technology and production.”

Late Wednesday, President Donald Trump praised Ford in a tweet, calling it "great news!"

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, also applauded the news, which directly benefits her congressional district, while at the same time issuing a public policy challenge.

“Ford’s investment in creating hundreds of new jobs reaffirms their confidence in the U.S. workforce. Creating a next-generation electric vehicle shows Ford’s vision for building not only the energy of the future, but also the workforce," Dingell said.

Carbon-less society

She addressed U.S. reluctance to move strongly toward electric vehicles.

“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," Dingell said. "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."



At issue has been consumer confidence in the latest technology and self-driving vehicles, which President Donald Trump recently ridiculed.

“We need to support building consumer confidence in the safety of autonomous vehicles," Dingell said. "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 U.S. 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 U.S. and is significantly contributing to the lack of consumer confidence."

Transit Connect built in Mexico

In other developments on Wednesday, Ford said it will build its next-generation North American Transit Connect small commercial and passenger van in Hermosillo, Mexico, starting in 2021.

That move increases U.S. and Canadian vehicle content consistent with the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which boosts sourcing of components with North American suppliers, Ford said in its news release. "It also helps the company improve the profitability of its North American Transit Connect lineup."

"This builds on Ford’s recent announcements to exit the heavy truck business in Brazil, restructure its operations in Europe and improve results in China," the company said.

More:Anxiety builds among Ford employees. Hackett says that's fair, but he's confident

More:Faced with 'headwinds,' Ford hires global industry leader as lobbyist

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-222-6512or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.