Pre-production of the Ford F-150 Lightning is already underway at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center ahead of the all-electric pickup’s launch next spring. However, the automaker has secured over 150,000 reservations for the new model, prompting it to double its planned production, as well as invest an additional $250 million to add 450 more jobs. Now, the F-150 Lightning plant is getting even more of a boost, thanks to an additional $6 million in state incentives, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
The additional funds for the F-150 Lightning plant come from the State Essential Services Assessment (SESA) following approval from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). Previously, Ford was approved for $3.2 million in tax incentives, but that was prior to the recently announced additional investment. The automaker received $35 million in incentives for its $1.5 billion dollar investment in existing plants back in 2019, which created 3,000 additional jobs.
“The proposed project will further expand the company’s massive footprint in Michigan and create an extended ripple effect that will benefit Tier 1 suppliers, the Tier 1 supply base, and several communities,” the MEDC said in a statement.
This announcement comes on the heels of Ford’s decision to invest $7 billion to build a new electric vehicle production plant and three EV battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, as Ford Authority reported earlier this week. Those new plants are expected to create around 6,000 new jobs when production begins in 2025.
These investments are just the latest in Ford’s massive electrification push, which includes forming a joint venture with battery manufacturer SK Innovation called BlueOvalSK, as well as the development of Ford’s new IonBoost batteries, which will power the automaker’s future all-electric vehicles, and two new dedicated EV platforms set to underpin those same models.
We’ll have more on Ford’s electrification push soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, F-150 Lightning news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
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