Ford today announced that the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne would be shut down for an extra two weeks by the end of the year, in light of slackening demand for the Ford Focus and C-MAX compacts built there, reports Reuters. That’s in addition to the regular one-week holiday shutdown shared by all North American plants at the end of each year.
This news follows the revelation earlier in the month that plants in Louisville, Kansas City, Hermosillo, and Cuautitlan would be idled due to light demand. According to Reuters, one of the Kansas City Assembly Plant’s three shifts will be out again next week for the same reason.
Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant is being hit by something of a double whammy; at the same time that crossovers and SUVs snatch more market share away from cars like the Focus, Ford says that new-vehicle demand in the US has plateaued, and the company expects a slight downturn in overall sales in 2017. Production of the Focus and C-MAX will be shifted to a Mexican production facility in 2018; the Michigan Assembly Plant that currently builds both models is likely to become more viable after a new Ford Ranger pickup and Bronco SUV are allegedly brought in to take their place.
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