The Ford Explorer is a great choice for large families that enjoy taking long road trips.
It offers a powerful engine, comfortable seats, and a large cargo space. The Explorer also has decent towing capacity.
These qualities make up for its plain interior, which a practical user may overlook.
Where is this vehicle made? Read on to find out.
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Where Are Ford Explorers Being Made?
Presently, Ford Explorers are being produced at the Chicago Assembly Plant in Chicago, Illinois and the Changan Ford factory in Chongqing, China. With the exception of the immediate previous generation, Ford Explorers were manufactured at entirely different factories in the past.
The first four generations of Ford Explorers were built at factories in the USA and Venezuela.
The factories in question are the Ford Kentucky factory in Louisville, USA; the St Louis Assembly in Missouri, USA; and the Valencia Assembly in Carabobo, Venezuela.
After the production of fourth generation Explorers, Ford stopped making the model at its St. Louis and Louisville plants.
It then moved production of the Ford Explorer to Chicago, USA; Russia and Venezuela.
Fifth generation Explorers were manufactured at the Chicago Assembly in Illinois, USA; Yelabuga factory in Tatarstan, Russia; and the Valencia Assembly in Carabobo, Venezuela.
By 2019, Ford had removed its Yelabuga Assembly and its Valencia Assembly from the list of factories where the Explorer was built.
The company also added China to the list.
So, the most recent edition of the Ford Explorer, the 2020 model, was only built at the Chicago assembly and the Changan factory in China.
You should also read our article about questions around the lights on Ford Explorers.
Are Explorers for the US Market Produced in the US?
The Ford Explorers sold in the United States of America are produced locally.
Currently, Ford makes the Explorers for US residents at the Chicago Assembly in Illinois, USA.
In the past, it also manufactured the Explorer at its Louisville and St. Louis Assembly plants in Kentucky and Missouri, respectively.
Are They Assembled in the US?
Right from the onset, the Ford Explorers sold in the US market have always been assembled at Ford’s factories in the USA.
Originally, they were assembled at Ford’s Louisville and St. Louis factories in the country.
However, they are currently assembled at the Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois, USA.
Please read our article about driving the Ford Explorer in snow and winter.
How Can You Check Where a Specific Ford Explorer was Made?
One way to determine where your Ford Explorer was manufactured is by checking the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
The VIN is a 17-digit code that shows basic information about your vehicle.
The country where the car was produced is one of the several pieces of information encoded in the VIN.
You can locate your vehicle’s VIN on the metal dashboard of your car.
The first character on the VIN points to the country where it was manufactured.
This character could be a number or a letter of the alphabet, depending on the continent of the manufacturer.
While countries located within America are represented by numbers, those outside the continent are indicated by letters.
When you find the characters stated below on the VIN of your Explorer, this is what they mean:
- 1, 4 or 5 means your Explorer was manufactured in the USA;
- 8 means it was built in Venezuela;
- X means it was produced in Russia; and
- L means your Ford Explorer was manufactured in China
Are Japanese or European Ford Explorers Better?
Ford Explorers have never been built in Japan.
On the other hand, Explorers were once manufactured in Russia, a European country.
With Ford’s assurance that Russian-built Ford Explorers are produced under efficient and high quality standards, we can infer that the vehicles are reliable.
Make sure to also read our article about how long Ford Explorers last.
Where Are Ford Explorers Designed?
The most recent generation of Ford Explorers was designed at the Ford Design Centre in Dearborn, Michigan by Mike Arbaugh.
Previous designs of the Ford Explorer were also developed at the Ford Design Center in Michigan, but by different designers.
Where Are Ford Explorers Made for the Australian Market?
The Ford Explorers sold in Australia are manufactured at the Chicago Assembly in Illinois, USA.
However, the latest version of the Explorer will not be sold in Australia because it is not offered in right-hand drive.
Where Are Ford Explorers Made for the Canadian Market?
The Ford Explorers meant for Canadian residents are produced at Ford’s Chicago factory in Illinois, USA.
Where Are Ford Explorers Made for the UK Market?
The UK market sources its stock of Ford Explorers from the Chicago Assembly plant in USA.
However, it appears only the plug-in hybrid version will be sold in the U.K and the rest of Europe.
Also read our article about 11 Ford Explorer statistics you should know.
Is Ford Planning to Move Its Production?
Ford has no plans to move production of the Explorer to new countries at the moment.
Nevertheless, the brand expanded the production of the Ford Explorer in the past.
At first, Ford only manufactured the model in USA and Venezuela. However, Ford also commenced the building of the Explorer in Russia in later years.
Today, Ford has stopped production of the Explorer in Russia, and it now manufactures some of its Explorer units at its Changan factory in China.
Is Ford Hiring or Firing in the US?
Ford has hired new members of staff in the USA this year.
The company employed temporary employees to substitute for its permanent workers who had to stay at home.
Judging by the vacancies Ford has posted on various job boards, it also intends to hire more people this year.
Likewise, Ford will fire some of its employees this year.
According to Kumar Gaholtra, Ford President for North America, the exercise will target older employees who will retire in a few years.
Ford claims the layoff will cut costs of production and increase the funds for the new products and services it plans to introduce.
Is Ford an American Company?
F0rd is American company. The company was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1903.
