Ford and Chrysler will idle about 13,655 workers at a total of five North American car assembly plants for the week starting Monday because of slow sales, Bloomberg News reported.
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The news agency said Ford will temporarily close four plants: Chicago, which makes Taurus and Sable sedans; Wayne, Michigan, which builds Focus small cars; St. Thomas, Ontario, which produces Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis sedans; and St. Paul, Minnesota, which makes Ranger pickup trucks, while Chrysler will idle a Sterling Heights, Michigan, factory that builds Sebring and Stratus cars.
Bloomberg News noted that Chrysler’s US sales in September fell 15% from the year-earlier month, including 22% for cars, while Ford’s rose 0.8%, as light-truck sales led by the redesigned F-150 pickup overcame a 15% drop for its cars. Sales increased 2.1% industry-wide for the month, the report added.
Ford sales analyst George Pipas told Bloomberg News that most of Ford’s planned cut in fourth-quarter production will be at plants that build cars, which “has been our Achilles’ heel”.
Pipas added that Ford expects to reduce North American output this quarter by 6.4% from the year-earlier period to 890,000 cars and trucks, and this week’s shutdowns are part of that, Bloomberg News said.
The report said the four plants Ford will idle have a total of 10,455 workers while the factory Chrysler is shutting down has 3,200.
Chrysler spokeswoman Mary Beth Halprin told Bloomberg News that the firm’s car plant in Brampton, Ontario, this week continues a shutdown that began on August 28 to prepare for new models, and is scheduled to resume production early next year.
