Ford to hire 220 to make hybrid parts

By Blake Ellis CNNMONEY

Ford Motor Co. said Monday it plans to invest $135 million and hire 220 workers to create parts for its new hybrid and electric vehicles.

Ford (F, Fortune 500) will add a total of 170 jobs at its Rawsonville and Van Dyke Transmission plants in Michigan, as well as more than 50 electric vehicle engineer positions.

The new hires will work to design, engineer and produce battery packs and electric-drive transaxles for the company's hybrids that go into production in North America in 2012.

The initiative will bring work to Michigan that is currently performed by suppliers in Japan and Mexico, Ford said Monday in a prepared statement.

"Electrified vehicles are a key part of our plan to offer a full lineup of green vehicles, and we are building a center of excellence in the U.S., here in Michigan, to keep Ford on the cutting edge," said Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas. "Today's announcement is another important step in our larger strategy to launch a family of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles around the world."

The launch of the new hybrid in 2012 is part of Ford's plan to introduce five electrified vehicles in the U.S. by 2012 and in Europe by 2013, the automaker said.