A secret project has been in the works inside the Ford assembly plant in South Deering.
Ford CEO Jim Farley and his wife gifted Pope Leo XIV a one-of-a-kind 2026 Ford Explorer built within Chicago's city limits.Workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant built a special SUV Pope Leo – but they didn’t learn it until after the fact.
Lexi Sutter reports.We knew a car was being built for a VIP, we just didn’t know which car and who it was going to," said Quality Operating Systems Coordinator Renee Bielec."I was told we were building it for CEO Farley. Come to find out, it’s for the Pope," said Coby Millender, the UAW Chairman."I got a tingly sensation knowing it’s for the Pope!" Ford CEO Jim Farley and his wife gifted Pope Leo XIV a one-of-a-kind 2026 Ford Explorer built within Chicago's city limits. It's a full circle moment for many who work inside and have ties to the same community Pope Leo came from. "I actually wrote a letter to the Pope and in it I expressed to the Pope that the plant has been here since 1924 and has been a way of life for people," said Final Area Manager Walter Simkus."He grew up just 11 streets north and a couple miles west, so he’s definitely familiar with the area." Along with that handwritten letter, Pope Leo's black Explorer has a Chicago Assembly Plant recognition coin inside, plus Chicago flag seat tags and the city skyline stitched into its center console."He is from here. He wanted a vehicle that was made by his people from Chicago," Bielec added."It's just amazing!"
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