Ford Motor Co. has moved its electric and autonomous vehicle business teams to Detroit's historic Corktown neighborhood ahead of the carmaker's expected June deal to purchase the long-idle Michigan Central Depot.
The company announced its decision to move over 200-strong electric vehicle and self-driving teams to the neighborhood in December 2017. The move into a 45,000-square-foot facility known as The Factory, located at Michigan Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard, was part of Ford's $11.10 billion global investment in electric vehicles.
The teams will work on electrification of Ford's key models and development of the U.S. carmaker's first self-driving vehicle, which is expected to begin production in 2021.
Talks between the Michigan-based carmaker and Central Transport International Inc.'s real estate division over the train station has been fast-tracked, but a deal is yet to be finalized, The Detroit News reported May 24.
