Rouge Plant, 1947 by Lynne's Lens

I came across this very cool photo from the heyday of the American auto industry yesterday. It's interesting to me to think about how deeply our nation identified with the manufacturing and innovation represented by these cars and how much goodwill Ford, GM & Chrysler were able to squander with ill-advised production.

Slowly, it appears that they are earning it back. The Freep reports on yesterday's Ford Motor Company announcement of plans to retool their Michigan Truck plant in Wayne:

Ford is in the process of transforming Michigan Assembly, previously known as Michigan Truck, from a plant that previously built large SUV's into a plant that will build the compact European version of the Ford Focus starting next year. And, starting in 2011, Ford plans to begin building an electric version of the Ford Focus.

...“We are fighting for the soul of manufacturing in Michigan, in the United States of America and worldwide,” Mulally said.

Ford said the electric version of the Focus will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a targeted range of 100 miles and can be recharged through a 120-volt or 240-volt electrical outlet.

You can read about the 47 MPG Fusion Hybrid at Ford and also check out this video on the Fusion: