DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. said Monday it will hire 1,200 new workers in Michigan by 2013 if the state approves tax incentives.
Ford plans to invest $850 million in several Detroit-area plants to build its new six-speed transmissions. The company also will hire 900 hourly manufacturing workers and 300 engineers and other salaried workers.
Ford wants $400 million worth of tax incentives over a 15-year period. The Michigan Economic Growth Authority board is scheduled to consider Ford's tax credits Tuesday.
Ford, the only U.S. automaker to avoid taking government bailout money last year, has been hiring new workers as it returns to profitability and its U.S. market share increases. Ford was expected to report its sixth straight quarterly profit Tuesday.
In August, the company said it was adding 1,975 hourly jobs by 2012 to do work traditionally done by suppliers. Earlier, it hired 1,200 workers to make the new Ford Explorer SUV in Chicago.
Ford also has invested heavily in its Michigan facilities. The new investment would come on top of a $950 million transformation of Michigan Assembly Plant from a truck plant to a car plant, which will begin producing the new Focus next year.
