Ford Motor Company proudly announces the commencement of deliveries for the highly anticipated 2025 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator. Both models are now shipping from Ford’s historic Chicago Assembly Plant, marking a significant milestone as the facility celebrates 100 years of continuous production.
Angela Weathers, Plant Manager at Chicago Assembly Plant, expressed her excitement: “Across all the models of Ford Explorer, luxury Lincoln Aviator and the purpose-built Police Interceptor Utility, this plant serves diverse segments with incredible vehicles. Our team enhanced pre-launch testing and quality checks to help ensure these vehicles exceed our customers’ expectations. We’re thrilled to have Explorer and Aviator SUVs out for delivery, building on Chicago Assembly Plant’s 100-year legacy of producing groundbreaking vehicles.”
2025 Ford Explorer:
- America’s all-time best-selling SUV with over 8 million sold.
- Features a redesigned interior, advanced technology, and bold exterior styling.
- First Ford vehicle with the new Ford Digital Experience infotainment system.
- Includes BlueCruise hands-free driving technology.
2025 Lincoln Aviator:
- Showcases evolved design language with signature features and connected experiences.
- Includes the new Lincoln Digital Experience and BlueCruise hands-free highway driving technology.
- Offers best-in-class standard gas horsepower and torque.
Since production began in 2010, more than 3.3 million Explorer SUVs have been assembled at the Chicago Assembly Plant. This milestone is supported by over 6,000 employees in Chicago and contributions from more than 15,000 Ford employees across eight plants in three states.
Bryce Currie, Vice President, Americas Manufacturing, highlighted the plant’s commitment to quality: “We are on a journey to world-class manufacturing at Chicago Assembly Plant and everywhere across our footprint. The ideas and innovations driving our lean transformation have really energized our quality culture and servant leadership here at Ford, and that’s reflected in the processes and tools we’re deploying at Chicago Assembly Plant and around the globe.”
The plant employs cutting-edge tools like Ford’s Mobile AI Vision System (MAIVS) for quality inspections, ensuring high standards for each vehicle. This integration of artificial intelligence is part of Ford’s ongoing innovation, reflecting the progress made in the plant’s 100-year history.
Historical Significance:
- The Chicago Assembly Plant has been operational since 1924, initially assembling the Model T.
- Supported the Allied war effort during WWII by producing armored vehicles.
- Produced the iconic Ford Taurus starting in 1986, credited with helping Ford withstand foreign competition.
