At 1:30 p.m. today, the last Ford Expedition rolled off the line at Ford’s Michigan Truck Plant, and although it’s an end of more than fifty years of building trucks at the Wayne, Michigan, plant, it is also a beginning.
“We now are focused on our next phase,” said plant manager Mike Torolski, “converting the truck plant to a car plant to begin producing global C-car based vehicles in 2010.”
The C-car platform includes the Ford Focus and Mazda Mazda3.
“The conversion of Michigan Truck Plant represents another step in our transformation plan to meet market demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Joe Hinrichs, global manufacturing v.p.
The plan includes converting Cuautitlan (Mexico) Assembly from building Ford F-150 pickups to building the new Fiesta subcompact in 2010, and Louisville Assembly, home of the Ford Explorer—the genesis of the SUV craze that began in the ’90s—to “yet more unique small vehicles from the automaker’s C-car platform” in 2011.
Production of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, which had been assembled at Michigan Truck Plant, will be consolidated with other truck production at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky. New Expeditions and Navigators will start down the production line there in the second quarter of 2009.
Ironically, SUV production at Michigan Truck is ending as sales of pickups and sport utilities are rebounding, thanks to incentives amounting up to $7,000 and fuel prices that have sunk to half what they were just several months ago.
Nevertheless, Michigan Truck Plant is no stranger to change. When opened in 1957, it was called the Wayne Station Wagon Plant. Now, with the focus on Focus-sized vehicles, it’s time for a new role.
“We now are focused on our next phase,” said plant manager Mike Torolski, “converting the truck plant to a car plant to begin producing global C-car based vehicles in 2010.”
The C-car platform includes the Ford Focus and Mazda Mazda3.
“The conversion of Michigan Truck Plant represents another step in our transformation plan to meet market demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Joe Hinrichs, global manufacturing v.p.
The plan includes converting Cuautitlan (Mexico) Assembly from building Ford F-150 pickups to building the new Fiesta subcompact in 2010, and Louisville Assembly, home of the Ford Explorer—the genesis of the SUV craze that began in the ’90s—to “yet more unique small vehicles from the automaker’s C-car platform” in 2011.
Production of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, which had been assembled at Michigan Truck Plant, will be consolidated with other truck production at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky. New Expeditions and Navigators will start down the production line there in the second quarter of 2009.
Ironically, SUV production at Michigan Truck is ending as sales of pickups and sport utilities are rebounding, thanks to incentives amounting up to $7,000 and fuel prices that have sunk to half what they were just several months ago.
Nevertheless, Michigan Truck Plant is no stranger to change. When opened in 1957, it was called the Wayne Station Wagon Plant. Now, with the focus on Focus-sized vehicles, it’s time for a new role.
arty: GO FORD!!! :banana:
