STIVERS: $2 BILLION LOUISVILLE INVESTMENT SHOWS KENTUCKY REAPING THE REWARDS OF GOOD POLICY
Pro-growth policies and an all-of-the-above energy strategy are driving transformative investments, securing Kentucky’s place in powering America’s future
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 11, 2025) — The following is a statement from Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, regarding Ford Motor Company’s announcement of a $2 billion investment at its Louisville Assembly Plant to produce a new mid-size electric pickup truck and secure thousands of Kentucky jobs.
“We’re excited and appreciate this investment by Ford. The company's commitment to Louisville is more than an investment in a plant. It is an investment in our state’s economic engine and in Kentucky’s future.
“This announcement, along with transformative projects in Harrodsburg and Paducah, proves our commonwealth is competing and winning on a national and global stage. These aren't isolated events. After nearly a decade of record growth, we know this is no coincidence, but just the next step. Good policy is like good farming. You prepare the field, plant with care, nurture, and in due time, reap a harvest.
"Whether it's maintaining the strength of our baseload power fleet, advancing nuclear innovation in Paducah, or producing Ford’s next generation of innovative designs, these investments are the direct result of a conducive climate that the General Assembly's supermajorities have worked hard to create. In collaboration with federal policy reforms that make them possible, it's a climate that rewards innovation, attracts industry, and empowers our workforce.
“The message to the world is clear: Kentucky is open for business, and we'll continue to power our nation into the future.”
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BACKGROUND
According to a release by Ford Motor Company on Monday, the company is investing approximately $5 billion across two facilities: nearly $2 billion at the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky and $3 billion at BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan. The investment will launch Ford’s new Universal EV Platform and Universal EV Production System. The Louisville project will assemble an all-new mid-size, four-door electric pickup truck, the first vehicle to use the new platform. With a targeted starting price of about $30,000, production is scheduled to begin in 2027. Ford stated that the Louisville investment will secure 2,200 hourly jobs. Combined with the Michigan investment, it will create or secure nearly 4,000 direct jobs.
The Louisville Assembly Plant will expand by 52,000 square feet to improve material flow and receive major digital infrastructure upgrades to create the fastest network with the most quality-control scan access points of any Ford plant worldwide. The new “assembly tree” process, in which three sub-assemblies are built in parallel and then joined, is designed to improve ergonomics, reduce parts, and accelerate production by up to 40 percent compared to current Louisville models.
This investment comes amid a series of major economic wins for Kentucky. In Harrodsburg, Apple recently announced a $2.5 billion advanced manufacturing project. In Paducah, General Matter has committed $1.5 billion to construct a uranium enrichment facility, alongside the U.S. Department of Energy’s designation of the city as a strategic site for AI and clean-energy infrastructure.
This string of announcements reflects Kentucky’s growing role as a destination for high-value, high-wage industries. Over the past decade, the Kentucky General Assembly has advanced pro-growth policies, strengthened workforce training, and implemented targeted incentives, creating the environment that makes these game-changing investments possible.
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Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. As of January 1, Stivers has served as Kentucky Senate president for over a decade. He first assumed the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As the Senate President, he is co-chair of the Legislative Research Commission. Stivers is also a member of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary.
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Lawmakers returned to Frankfort on June 3 to start the 2025 Interim. During this period, committees will meet to study policy issues, review implementation of recently passed legislation, and begin evaluating proposals for the 2026 Regular Session, which begins Tuesday, January. 6.
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