Ford Motor

Ford is investing $1 billion to build a new paint shop at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville; construction is planned to start at the end of the year and will replace the existing facility. The plant, Ford's highest‑revenue production site, manufactures F‑Series Super Duty, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The facility will receive modernized technology for better paint quality, higher efficiency and greater sustainability. The move is part of earlier investments of about $4 billion in Kentucky and is expected to create or secure around 2,200 jobs and support production of the electric pickup Fathom. » More on de.investing.com

Ford is under heightened scrutiny after conflicting messages from the U.S. administration and Republican lawmakers over its ties to Chinese companies. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called Ford's China connections "troubling" while the White House and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly praised some of Ford's moves. The dispute centers on Ford's partnerships with firms like CATL and Geely and CEO Jim Farley's stance that the company needs Chinese technology to stay globally competitive. Mixed signals from the administration are complicating planning for U.S. automakers facing Chinese competition. » More on finance.yahoo.com

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley, voiced serious national security concerns about Ford’s cooperation with battery maker CATL and the companies Geely and BYD. He specifically objected to the reliance on licensed CATL technology at the Marshall plant and to the joint venture with Geely in Spain to produce a crossover-hybrid model from 2028. Duffy also criticized the postponement of moving Lincoln Nautilus production to the U.S. until 2030 and warned against greater integration of subsidized foreign technology into Ford’s supply chains. Ford did not immediately comment; the stock fell about 1% in premarket trading. » More on manager-magazin.de