Ford shows off its new, Kansas City-made F-150 pickup, America’s most popular truck
The largest factory in the Kansas City area is getting a reboot as Ford Motor Co. prepares to launch an all-new F-150 pickup model.
Workers just wrapped up production on the 2020 F-150 at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo and will soon start making the fully redesigned 2021 model, which will hit dealerships soon.
The new model won’t require as much retooling in the plant as 2015’s transition to all-aluminum bodies did. But it still requires significant changes, said John Savona, Ford’s vice president of North America Manufacturing
“It’s going to take us two weeks to change over and then we’re going to be ready to run the new truck,” he said Tuesday, when executives and plant leaders showed off two of the new pickup models in front of the factory.
The new F-150 features an interior work surface over the middle console that can be used for eating a meal or working on a laptop. The tailgate also includes a work surface and plugs in the bed can power external devices with the truck’s on-board generator.
The Claycomo plant employs 7,250 workers and produces more vehicles than any other Ford factory on the continent. In addition to the F-150, workers build the Transit van. Ford projects the plant, the largest by employment in the region, contributes $2 billion to the Kansas City area’s gross domestic product, or GDP.
Across the state line, General Motors makes the Chevy Malibu sedan and the Cadillac XT4 crossover SUV at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas.
Savona said Ford’s Kansas City plant just had one of its best quarters ever as consumer demand for new autos remains high, even amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re certainly delighted by the demand,” he said. “And I can’t tell you how proud I am of our workforce.”
The plant temporarily paused production in March because of safety concerns but has been open since April.
Like other automakers, Ford shifted to produce personal protective equipment like masks, hospital gowns and even ventilators. On Tuesday, Savona said the company would donate 100 million face masks, including 1 million in Kansas City being distributed through local nonprofits.
Ford did not disclose the price of the new F-150 model. This year’s models begin at about $28,500 and can reach nearly $70,000 depending on specific features, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The F-150 is the most popular vehicle in most states and the most popular pickup on the market.
Ford will build electric and hybrid models of the F-150 in Dearborn, Michigan. Savona wouldn’t say whether Kansas City would one day transition to such technologies. But he said workers here have proven they can build high-quality vehicles to keep up with demand.
“I’m not going to talk about future product at this time but I can tell you that we have a tremendous amount of faith in this plant, a lot of confidence in this facility,” he said. “So the future is bright here for the Kansas City Assembly Plant.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 2:16 PM.
