Chrysler said Friday it will add nearly 900 jobs early next year at a factory in suburban Detroit that makes midsized cars.

The announcement was made at a Chrysler factory that is scheduled to host U.S. President Barack Obama later in the day.

The company says the factory in Sterling Heights, Mich., will remain open beyond 2012. It had been scheduled to close in two years.

The company also says parts suppliers will add 500 jobs to support the plant's operations. The additional workers in Sterling Heights will staff a second shift.

Chrysler has plans to significantly update the slow-selling Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, which are made at the factory.

Word of the additional jobs comes one day after Ford Motor Co. announced it would lay off 388 workers at its engine plant across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ont.

On Wednesday, General Motors also brought bad news to the Canadian border city, closing its last operation in Windsor, putting 500 people out of work.

With files from CBC News