$5 billion investment to develop a new EV platform, advanced assembly system, and prismatic LFP battery production, creating or securing nearly 4,000 U.S. jobs.
First product: a midsize four-door electric pickup, starting around $30,000, with more space than a Toyota RAV4 and performance rivaling a Mustang EcoBoost.
Innovative “assembly tree” manufacturing process aims to cut assembly time by up to 40% while improving ergonomics, quality, and cost efficiency.
Ford is committing $5 billion to launch a next-generation electric vehicle platform, overhaul its manufacturing process, and produce prismatic LFP batteries in the U.S., marking one of the automaker’s largest American investments in recent years. The move will create or secure nearly 4,000 jobs across Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky and BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.
The new Ford Universal EV Platform will underpin a family of affordable, software-defined electric vehicles. The first model, due in 2027, will be a midsize four-door electric pickup priced from about $30,000. Ford says it will be “as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost” and offer more passenger space than the latest Toyota RAV4, plus a frunk and a secure truck bed.
“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable vehicles that delight customers… and do it with American workers,” said Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO. “From Day 1, we knew there was no incremental path to success. We tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one.”
The platform’s cobalt-free, nickel-free LFP battery pack doubles as the vehicle floor, lowering the center of gravity, improving handling, and increasing cabin space. It reduces parts by 20%, requires 25% fewer fasteners, and enables a 15% faster assembly time compared to current processes.
Doug Field, Ford’s chief EV, digital and design officer, said the team drew inspiration from the Model T: “We applied first-principles engineering, pushing to the limits of physics to make it fun to drive and compete on affordability… This isn’t a stripped-down, old-school vehicle.”
Ford’s Universal EV Production System replaces the traditional moving line with an “assembly tree,” allowing major sub-assemblies to be built in parallel before final integration. This change, combined with large aluminum unicastings and pre-kitted parts, could cut assembly time by up to 40% while reducing strain on workers.
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“We expect ergonomic breakthroughs and complexity reduction… will flow through to significant quality and cost wins,” said Bryce Currie, Ford vice president of Americas Manufacturing.
Ford will invest nearly $2 billion in the Louisville plant for the pickup’s production, securing 2,200 hourly jobs, alongside $3 billion already committed to BlueOval Battery Park Michigan for prismatic LFP battery production. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called it “one of the largest investments on record in our state” and a boost to Kentucky’s role in EV innovation.
Combined, the projects strengthen Ford’s domestic supply chain with dozens of new U.S.-based suppliers, positioning the company to scale affordable EV production while keeping manufacturing firmly rooted in America.
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