Ford plans to invest $700 million into its Kentucky Truck Plant — adding 500 jobs in the process — in support of its new full-size Super Duty pickup truck. The new pickup comes for the 2023 model year.
The automaker is rolling out its new Super Duty online today at 7:15 p.m. The company’s investing heavily in the state as it is not only home to two plants, the aforementioned truck plant, where it builds Super Dutys as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, as well as its Louisville Assembly where it builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair.
Those operations and other sites account for 12,000 workers, but the company is also building BlueOval SK Battery Park, a new, $5.8 billion, 1,500-acre battery manufacturing complex to supply batteries for the company’s expected wave of electric vehicles in the coming years. The joint venture with SK On will create about 5,000 new jobs.
“Ford is America’s No. 1 employer of hourly autoworkers, and our workforce in Kentucky makes some of the country’s most popular vehicles, including the F-Series Super Duty for both retail and Ford Pro commercial customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, president, Ford Blue. “Ford has been growing in Kentucky since the days of the Model T, and we are continuing to invest in the Bluegrass State to produce great vehicles that our customers love and depend on.”
Hot market for big trucks
Ford’s push to invest in its most powerful trucks comes as it dukes it out with General Motors’ offerings from Chevrolet and GMC — both introducing new and updated versions of their heavy-duty pickups this week as well.
Chevrolet rolled out its new Silverado HD Monday. The newest iteration is a 2024 model set to debut in the first half of next year. The company’s updated its look while upgrading its performance and technology.
That improved performance begins with more powerful, responsive engines. The 6.6-liter gas and 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel both were tweaked to improve output to a SAE-certified 470 horsepower and 975 pound-feet of torque.
Officials noted additional changes and upgrades were designed to produce a more efficient combustion, improving overall performance. Engineers enhanced low-end torque production by as much as 25% for better low-speed response and climbing grades — especially when towing.
Much of that comes from being mated to a new Allison 10-speed transmission. By shifting from the old 6-speed offering, the additional gears prevent power drops and slippage, allowing for a smoother right and better application of power longer. It also improves grade braking with the gas engines, Chevy noted.
Chevrolet’s sibling brand, GMC, plans to roll out its new model at the end of the week. It’s likely the performance specs will be very similar with the convenience technology and luxury appointments pushing to new levels.
Ram updated its newest heavy-duty models for 2023 earlier this month, improving the convenience tech, adding trailer reverse steering control and a new Trailer Tow pages app.
The competition is fierce because the money is big. Ford said its F-Series trucks produced nearly $40 billion in revenue in 2021, accounting nearly one-third of the company’s global automotive revenue last year.