In the single largest manufacturing investment in its 118-year-history, Ford Motor Co. on Sept. 27 said it and a partner will invest $11.4 billion and create 11,000 new jobs to build electric vehicles and batteries at two new sprawling campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky.

President Joe Biden’s planned visit May 18 to the Dearborn, Mich., Ford Motor Co. Rouge Electric Vehicle Center that will build an electric version of the F-150 pickup will showcase what experts say is a powerfully symbolic example of a zero-emission vehicle with mass market appeal, built in the U.S. by union workers.