DETROIT (Jan. 11, 2011) — Ford Motor Co. will hire 7,000 new employees by 2012 in the U,S., company executives said yesterday during the auto maker's press conference at the Detroit auto show.
Ford also will add 10 vehicles in the next three years off its compact car platform for markets around the globe.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally also said Ford will deliver its “most aggressive product plan ever” in the next few years.
When Mr. Mulally joined Ford in 2006, he implemented a cost-cutting plan that including slashing thousands of hourly and salaried jobs. But this year, he said, Ford will add 750 salaried jobs and 4,000 manufacturing jobs.
Next year, Ford will add another 2,500 manufacturing jobs, Mr. Mulally said.
Bill Ford, the company's chairman, said, “It's highly important for our company and the communities we serve to be able to add jobs.
“It's a reflection clearly that we are on the way back and that our company is well positioned.”
The 10 vehicles that Ford will offer on its compact car platform include the Focus sedan and Focus 5-door for sale in the U.S., and the Focus wagon for sale in Europe.
In 2012, Ford will offer the Focus ST performance version and the Focus Electric in the U.S.
After that will come the five-seat C-Max minivan in Europe, the seven-seat C-Max minivan for the U.S., the C-Max Hybrid, the C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, and a small SUV to replace the Escape in the U.S. and the Kuga in Europe. Derrick Kuzak, group vice of global product development, said the seven-seat C-Max would be priced in the mid-$20,000 range.
At the Detroit auto show yesterday, Ford showed a Vertrek concept small SUV as a hint of what the Escape and Kuga replacements might look like. The Vertrek can accommodate either a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine or a turbo diesel engine.
In overseas markets, Ford said it will introduce a redesigned Ranger compact pickup in Asia. The truck goes into production this year.
This report appeared in Automotive News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.