Sign of a comeback: US carmakers are hiring

A few years ago, American automakers cut tens of thousands of jobs and shut dozens of factories simply to survive. But since the recession ended and General Motors and Chrysler began to recover with the help of hefty government bailouts and bankruptcy filings, all three Detroit car companies, including Ford Motor Company, have achieved one of the unlikeliest comebacks among industries devastated during the financial crisis.

Now steadily rising auto sales and two-tier wage concessions from labour have spurred a wave of new manufacturing investments and hiring by the three Detroit automakers in the US. The latest development occurred on Thursday, when Ford said it was adding 450 jobs and expanding what had been a beleaguered engine plant in Ohio to feed the growing demand for more fuel-efficient cars and SUV's in the American market.

Ford, the nation's second-largest automaker after GM, said it would spend $200 million to renovate its Cleveland engine plant to produce small, turbocharged engines used in its top-selling models. Ford plans to centralise production of its two-litre EcoBoost engine — used in popular models like the Fusion sedan and Explorer SUV — at the Cleveland facility by the end of next year. Its move to expand production in the US is yet another tangible sign of recovery among the Detroit auto companies. Industrywide sales in the US are expected to top 15 million vehicles this year after sinking beneath 11 million in 2009.

Last month, GM announced plans to invest $600 million in its assembly plant in Kansas City, one of the company's oldest factories in the country. And Chrysler, the smallest of the Detroit car companies, is adding a third shift of workers to its Jeep plant in Detroit.

The biggest factor in the market's revival has been the need by consumers to replace aging, gas-guzzling models. And Joseph R Hinrichs, the head of Ford's Americas region, explained that the Ohio revival plan was "all based on increased demand".

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