Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, SUVs, Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford
Ford investing $75M to switch Michigan Truck plant from trucks to cars
click above to view more high-res shots of the Euro-Focus
News flash: small cars like the Ford Focus are selling beyond expectations (ours anyway) while trucks and SUVs are sitting on dealer lots much longer than auto manufacturers would like. For this reason, Ford is moving as quickly as possible to switch a few of its truck plants into car plants, including its Michigan Truck plant where behemoth SUVs like the Expedition and Navigator were being built. The switchover is going to cost the automaker since these are not flexible manufacturing facilities, with the first bit of retooling ringing the registers to the tune of $75 million bucks -- and that's just for a new bodyshop. The total cost to retool the plant will be in the hundreds of millions. As they say, it takes money to make money. While the plant is being refurbished, workers will be shuffled to the nearby Wayne plant to build even more Focuses. The best bit of news, though, is that Ford will finally be building its small cars from Europe at its converted truck plant, the ones we've all been asking for since the Euro-Focus got a new platform and we didn't. Not that we're still sour or anything...
Gallery: 2008 Euro Ford Focus
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2004m3driver 3:35PM (8/26/2008)
Good going Ford! Now they need to revamp Lincoln, their current styling is a big bleh.
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That One Person 4:40PM (8/26/2008)
Is that why Lincoln is enjoying better sales compared to just a few years ago?
Gregg 3:43PM (8/26/2008)
That's not new news. At all.
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Mike G 3:46PM (8/26/2008)
Can you imagine how wicked cool the latest Jaguar would be if it had headlights like the Euro Focus above?
Or how cool it would have been if Ford had made this car to truck switch 5 years ago when they lost their first couple Billion and the writing was so clearly on the wall.
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That One Person 4:40PM (8/26/2008)
Five years ago? They were still selling SUVs and trucks like candy.
It was so clear that even a certain company spent several billion dollars on a truck that didn't even reach it's sales goal and is now being heavily discounted while that company cuts production. And how about other companies that spend a crap load of money on trucks and SUVs...and I am not talking about the Big 3.
mike 4:12PM (8/26/2008)
So it's goint to take them about 1-2 years to bring new small cars to the market. WOW...about 3-4 years too late if you ak me.
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Victor 4:13PM (8/26/2008)
2005
Us- Give us the new Euro Focus!
Ford - No!
2008
Ford - Dang it!
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Kumar 5:07PM (8/26/2008)
Here's to hoping that they aren't going to produce the outdated Focus there for a few more years to 'recoup costs'.....
Ford has an amazing opportunity to haul over a bunch of diesels and take a lead in the domestic automaker market, but I sense they'll let more opportunities slide away.
Volvo C30 diesel anyone?
Torrent 4:18PM (8/26/2008)
Why oh why Autoblog must you taunt us with that beautiful Focus?
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J.A. 5:44PM (8/26/2008)
What's so beautiful about it? It's looks pretty good, but God, you people highly overrate that Euro Focus. You act like it's God's gift to mankind.
Torrent 6:33PM (8/26/2008)
It's Ford's gift to mankind.
Dave 7:04PM (8/26/2008)
If you like the EuroFocus, buy a Mazda3.
naco 6:38PM (8/26/2008)
This is dumb, wasnt there an article about people gaining more interest in big vehicles again, as time passes people begin to accept higher gas prices and include it in their daily lives, i bet you anything when the new F150 comes out its going to be in high demand, I live in Los Angeles, what gas did was change peoples driving habits, there is less traffic but people still do manage, I am all for the Euro Focus and Fiesta but people still need their trucks
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KazO 6:57PM (8/26/2008)
Along those lines, are the Big3 just hurriedly switching lines as a break/fix reaction to the current climate, or are they doing any planning-ahead to add flexibility at the same time, so that when gas-guzzlers are back in vogue (and you know it's going to happen; we're Americans, after all), they're not going to have to spend $100Ms again to do this all over?
mr.ed 10:15PM (8/26/2008)
Isn't there capacity at Flat Rock (Mazda6) south of town that would be easier to convert?
And we bought our Euro Focus already several years ago. My wife loves her Mazda3 hatch. She's the red-hot granny.
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Matt 11:02PM (8/26/2008)
"to build even more Focuses."
Shouldnt that be "Foci"?
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matter_of_tact 1:35AM (8/27/2008)
Judging from their publications, the Brits seem to love their version of the Focus, and have for years. Why Ford couldn't plainly see that and instead continued to spend insane amounts of money on money losing Jaguar (and then turn around and sell it for the loss it was) is beyond me. Then again, I never COULD figure out what drugs Jac Nasser was on when he bought Jaguar in the first place.
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matter_of_tact 1:41AM (8/27/2008)
Judging from their publications, the Brits seem to love their version of the Focus, and have for years. Why Ford couldn't plainly see that and instead continued to spend insane amounts of money on money losing Jaguar (and then turn around and sell it for the loss it was) is beyond me. Then again, I never COULD figure out what drugs Jac Nasser was on when he bought Jaguar in the first place.
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Melvin Kangas 6:48AM (8/27/2008)
from the Det. News articale-"We'll have the flexibility to mix those products (8 diff. models) as markety conditions demand at the new converted Michigan Truck and will also be able to produce TRUCKS & SUV'S again if the market demands. The new chefs at Ford are doing the constructive thing and are not going to cry in their beer about the past.
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Melvin Kangas 7:14AM (8/27/2008)
.. to Mr. Ed-now quoting from an Associated Press release-"..because of a $300 million investment in a new FLEXIBLE body shop made in 2005, Michigan Truck can be converted at a relatively small expense to make small car bodies...about 80% of the machinery stays and the Robots just have to be re-programmed."
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