Ford to hire 11,000 in U.S., Asia amid new model push

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Thursday that it is adding more than 11,000 new jobs in the United States and Asia in 2014 as it rolls out 23 new vehicles, the biggest launch year in the company's 110-year history. The second-largest U.S. automaker will hire more than 5,000 workers in the United States, including 3,300 salaried positions. Ford will hire 6,000 workers in Asia. The hiring comes as Ford plans to launch 23 new cars and trucks in 2014, 16 of which will be introduced in North America. Among the most critical launches are an all-new Mustang sports car and a radical overhaul of its most profitable vehicle, the F-150 pickup truck. "We have an unprecedented year of launches," Joe Hinrichs, head of Ford's operations in North and South America, said at a media event in Dearborn, Michigan. "We've always said we're going to keep investing in product and with the number of launches we have next year, this reinforces that." The number of global launches planned for next year is more than double that in 2013. Worldwide, Ford is on track to make 6 million cars and trucks, the company said. (Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)