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The nationwide shift to more earth-friendly cars and trucks will pay off in a big way for the Northland.

Ford Motor Co. is one of the first domestic automobile manufacturers to get a piece of President Barack Obama’s $25 billion campaign to increase vehicle fuel efficiency 25 percent over 2005 levels.

Ford’s Claycomo assembly plant will be one several sites in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio that will share in a $5.9 billion federal loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to retool current models to meet green emissions standards.

The loan was announced by Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu during a June 23 press conference in Dearborn, Mich. Chu was joined by Ford President Alan Mulally.

“By supporting key technologies and sound business plans, we can jumpstart the production of fuel efficient vehicles in America,” Chu said. “These investments will come back to our country many times over, by creating new jobs, reducing our dependence on oil and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Chu also announced smaller loans for Nissan North America and the California-based car builder Tesla Motors.

Ford will use the money through 2011 to raise the fuel efficiency of more than a dozen of its models, including the Escape and F-150, both of which are built at the Northland factory.

With 4,683 employees, the Claycomo plant is one of the most important employers in the region. The factory has been in operation since 1951 on 1,269 acres southeast of the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 435.

Ford hasn’t decided exactly how it will spend the Department of Energy loan at the Claycomo plant, according to company spokesperson Angie Kozleski. Mulally said the company will invest a total of $14 billion on advanced vehicle technology that should save roughly 2.5 billion gallons of fuel annually by 2012.

“Our commitment to fuel efficiency and advanced technology is clear,” Mulally said. “Ford intends to be the fuel economy leader.”

The Obama administration recently set a goal to increase average fuel efficiency from its current 27.5-miles-per-gallon level to 35 miles per gallon.

To help meet that mark, Ford unveiled a plan centered on a turbo-charged gasoline direct injection engine known as “EcoBoost” that’s “designed to deliver the power and torque of a V-8 engine with the fuel efficiency of a V-6.”

The company also intends to develop electric, hybrid and bio-fuel options for its models.

Ford’s plan beat out proposals from several other manufacturers to be first in line for the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program.

“Ford is so pleased to be among the first selected for this high-tech green program, a selection that is based on the strength of our technology and our innovation,” Mulally said.

Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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