Just as the American EV market braces for a brutal winter, Ford is making a shocking pivot. As federal tax credits disappear, the automaker is doubling down with a new strategy borrowed not from Silicon Valley,

Ford unveiled a new assembly line on Monday, which CEO Jim Farley called the most radical change at Ford "since the Model T."

Ford said its combined investment of about $5 billion at the Kentucky assembly plant and Michigan battery plant is expected to create or secure nearly 4,000 direct jobs between the two plants while strengthening the domestic supply chain with dozens of new U.S.-based suppliers.

Ford announced Monday it will invest $2 billion and secure nearly 2,200 jobs in a Louisville, Ky., assembly plant that will build affordable electric vehicles.

Ford said the new battery will be 15 percent smaller than that of a BYD Atto electric crossover. BYD uses the same lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry that Ford says it will use in its future EVs, starting with a four-door midsized pickup in 2027.

Ford will invest $5 billion, including $2 billion at its Louisville, Kentucky factory on top of $3 billion already announced for its BlueOval battery plant. It will expand the Louisville facility by 52,000 square feet and "create or secure" nearly 4,000 direct jobs, Ford added.

The American automaker announced a $5 billion investment into its EV plants, a new electric vehicle platform and an affordable electric truck arriving in 2027.