MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WKRN) – Ford’s multi-billion dollar investment in West Tennessee follows several major auto plants and investments already in the voluntary state.
The state legislature is expected to grant strong incentives and tax breaks for the Ford mega-site in the Memphis area.
The Ford Motor Company is investing $5.6 billion to manufacture electric trucks.
“At Ford, we said we were going to lead the electrification revolution and that’s what we’re doing here in West Tennessee and Kentucky,” said Mike Levine, Ford product communications manager for North America.
Blue Oval City is expected to create 5,800 jobs in the Memphis area and thousands in Kentucky as well.
“We see a large untapped workforce and what that means for both states is about 11,000 new jobs. We are also investing approximately $11.4 billion in the next-generation F-Series powerhouse that we call Blue Oval City,” Levine said.
Tennessee is implementing $500 million in economic incentives.
“I think the state is very business-friendly, not like every state, you find states that put pressure on manufacturing, so manufacturers are looking to Tennessee and Kentucky because it makes sense,” said Lauren Fix, editor. -Head of coach reports.
Tennessee is no stranger to auto factories, from Volkswagen to GM and Nissan, automakers have found Tennessee to be one of the best places to manufacture.
“All the people running this state are looking to bring in businesses, they give them incentives that mean jobs, and that helps the economy as a whole grow,” Fix said. “But it also means he’s building the infrastructure, it means better airports, better roads – it helps everyone, there’s no negative.”
For 41 years Lauren Fix has raced, restored, manufactured and covered the automotive industry. She said this investment was a game-changer.
“I think it’s very smart that Ford made an investment in the United States rather than having something overseas,” Fix said. “Because what we’ve seen with this global chip shortage is the fact that you can’t control something that’s not made here, but do it here in what’s called going vertical, by in other words, we control the batteries we control the chips, we control all the components.
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Governor Bill Lee expects 27,000 direct and indirect jobs to come to the region.
Production of the F-series trucks will begin in 2025.
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