truth about domestics

Alan Mulally, Ford’s CEO, announces 1,200 new jobs at Chicago Assembly Plant to build the next generation Ford Explorer.

The Chicago Assembly plant current builds the new Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans, and employs around 1,400 people.  Ford’s Chicago Heights stamping plant current employs around 750 people.  Why am I telling you all of this?  Simply to point out the impact of Ford’s announcement that they will be adding 1,200 more jobs to the area to build the all-new next generation Explorer.  The new Explorer is expected to be based off a unibody car platfrom and should be on sale late this year.  The styling should be based off the Explorer America concept you see above.

In addition to the new jobs, Ford is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the area to make improvements to its plants to handle the new vehicle.  For more details, head on over to Chicago Business.

(Image source: Ford)

A great article was sent to me by a friend (thanks Harry) who thought it might be good to post on the site.  Well, after reading the article, I saw instantly that he was correct.  The article is a post on the blogging site CityMama, and the writer was recently given the chance to tour the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant.  Her reactions?  Here are some of the quotes:

• “Every American, before passing judgement on the auto industry, should visit an auto assembly plant to see how cars are built.  If you haven’t looked those people in the eye and seen first hand how efficiently, how carefully, how proudly they do their jobs, your opinion won’t hold much water with me.”
• “About half way through the tour, my head full of more information about cars than I’d ever thought I’d know, I thought, ‘God, what an ignorant a-hole you’ve been about this whole business.’”
• “After everything I learned that day, it occurred to me that this company was not a heartless, soul-less corporation full of automatons churning out crappy cars.  This company was made of people.  People who cared immensely about the products they were building.  People on the line smiled and waved at us.”
• “I learned that I like American cars, because I like the people who build them.”

For more of this great story, follow the link here.  If more people, like this writer, gave the Domestic 3 a chance, then they would not be in the position they are in!

(Image source: zimbo.com)

This a great story about one blogger’s trip to the Chicago Assembly Plant.  She says that from her visit, her view on Ford cars and life has changed.  For the full story, check out the article here.