Ford confirms $1.2B investment to build Bronco, Ranger

The Ranger will enter production in 2018, while the Bronco will wait until 2020.

Confirming last-minute leaks, Ford has announced a $1.2 billion investment plan for three Michigan facilities.

The company's Michigan Assembly Plant will receive $850 million for retooling and upgrades necessary to build the Ranger and Bronco.

An additional $150 million will be spent upgrading Ford's Romeo Engine plant, expanding output capacity for several vehicles including the Ranger and Bronco. The increased output will require an extra 130 workers.

The company has also committed $200 million for a new data center, one of two new data centers planned for Michigan. The Blue Oval expects its 'mobility' initiative and other operations to increase data usage by 1,000 percent.

The latest plan is in addition to a January announcement of $700 million and 700 new jobs at Flat Rock Assembly, adapting the factory to build next-generation electrified and autonomous vehicles.

President Donald Trump appears to have been informed of the $1.2 billion investment ahead of the official confirmation. He has pressured automakers to stop moving manufacturing operations to Mexico, though Ford's latest announcement can be tracked back to UAW negotiations in 2015.

The Ranger will return to US production in late 2018, followed bt the resurrected Bronco in 2020.