Ford Motor has revealed a $1 billion plan to establish a new paint shop at its key Kentucky Truck Plant.
The announcement follows Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy voicing “profound concern” regarding the automaker’s U.S. “manufacturing integrity” and its connections to Chinese companies.
Duffy’s criticism was directed at Farley in a letter published by the Trump administration on Tuesday. After a detailed reply from Ford, the White House’s Rapid Response account on X issued a positive statement on Wednesday, describing Ford as “a GREAT American company.”
Ford, which often highlights its status as the leading automaker in the U.S., dismissed Duffy’s comments as a “wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines.”
Ford President and CEO Jim Farley told investors, “For more than a century, Ford and Kentucky have grown together, and we’re investing to ensure that relationship remains strong for generations to come. These investments demonstrate our confidence in Kentucky’s workforce, our commitment to American manufacturing, and our belief that the future of mobility and energy will be built right here in the United States.”
The Kentucky facility, which Ford has called its most important and profitable plant globally, produces the automaker’s large F-250 to F-550 Super Duty trucks as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
The Detroit automaker announced it will break ground on the new facility later this year, but a Ford spokesperson declined to specify when the new paint shop is expected to be completed.
Ford said the investment follows roughly $4 billion in announcements for its Kentucky facilities in recent years.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
