Next-gen Ford Explorer will bring 1,200 new jobs to Chicago

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2011 Ford Explorer Spy Shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

In a bit of good news, always welcomed in today’s battered automotive sector, Ford has announced it will add 1,200 jobs to the Chicago area when it moves production of the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer to its underutilized Illinois plant. The announcement is not a surprise – the plans have been in place for about a year – as the automaker has spent around $400 million retrofitting the plant in anticipation of the upcoming SUV’s arrival. Experts say the Chicago plant will likely have to add a second shift to accommodate the Explorer production.

The Chicago plant has been making the redesigned Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS since last year. The 2011 Ford Explorer, redesigned on a smaller and more fuel-efficient car unibody platform, is anticipated to arrive in dealers in August or September and will likely be the plant’s highest-volume vehicle. Thanks for the tip, Leonard!

[Source: Ford]

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Next-gen Ford Explorer will bring 1,200 new jobs to Chicago originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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