By alley - Feb 12, 2015, 5:26 PM ET

Ford confirms Multimatic to produce Ford GT

Ford Motor Company confirmed Thursday that the new Ford GT supercar will be built in Ontario, Canada by Multimatic Motorsports, a longtime partner of the automaker's motorsports programs. The announcement, which had been widely anticipated, was made at the Chicago Auto Show where the

600hp Ford GT – which was first unveiled last month at the International Auto Show in Detroit

– made another appearance.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of the Americas, said at the announcement that the Ford will benefit from Multimatic's experience in working with carbon fiber, noting that the two companies have worked together for 30 years.

The confirmation of Multimatic

builds on the widespread expectation that a race-going version of the Ford GT will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2016

. Ford executives have acknowledged that the GT was conceived as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the company's 1966 Le Mans win, but has yet to officially announce any racing plans for the car.