Mexican Media Brands
Ford’s Rouge Plant Turns 100, Plans Hybrid F-Series Truck
Ford Motor Co.’s historic Rouge complex outside Detroit is celebrating its 100th year of continuous vehicle production.
#hybrid
Share
Ford Motor Co.’s historic Rouge complex outside Detroit is celebrating its 100th year of continuous vehicle production.
The complex—named for the nearby Rouge River—opened in 1918. The facility began by supplying Eagle boats to the U.S. Navy. Since then the Rouge has produced 28 vehicle models ranging from farm tractors and the Model A to the Mustang sport coupe and the F-Series large pickup truck.
Now Ford is preparing the Rouge’s Dearborn Truck Plant to build a hybrid-powered version of its F-150 pickup. The truck will go into production in 2020 with a powertrain that can serve as a mobile electric power source.
At its peak ago, the Rouge complex boasted that iron ore arrived by boat at one end and emerged as a vehicle 28 hours later. The complex once housed its own power plant, steel mill, glass factory, assembly lines, fire department and hospital. These days the facility builds F-Series pickup trucks at a rate of one every 53 seconds.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Ford Maverick, Toyota Tundra Hybrid, and GM's Factory Footprint
GM is transforming its approach to the auto market—and its factories. Ford builds a small truck for the urban market. Toyota builds a full-size pickup and uses a hybrid instead of a diesel. And Faurecia thinks that hydrogen is where the industry is going.
-
What the VW ID. BUGGY Indicates
Volkswagen will be presenting a concept, the ID. BUGGY, a contemporary take on a dune buggy, based on the MEB electric platform that the company will be using for a wide array of production vehicles, at the International Geneva Motor Show.
-
Rivian Gets Even More Money, Now From Ford
The electrification of automotive is serious business. This week it was announced that Ford is making a $500-million equity investment in Rivian.