Ford will hire 1,800 workers at a plant in Louisville to build the Escape, a small SUV.
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Ford
The automaker says it is investing $600 million in the plant to make the SUV, one of its popular vehicles. Many of the new workers will come from a pool of employees laid off at other plants, although Ford plans to hire some new employees.
The plant currently employs 1,100 people and builds the Ford Explorer. Production of the Explorer is being moved to a plant in Chicago.
Ford will shut down the Louisville plant for a year to put in new equipment. When it reopens in late 2011, it will be one of the most advanced plants in the company.