Ford closing Hermosillo plant for January

Automotive News is reporting that big inventories of current-generation Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ models will lead to the closure of Ford's Hermosillo plant in Mexico for the entire month of January. The Automotive News Data Center quotes inventory levels of the Ford Fusion at 120 days, while the MKZ is at a very high 229 days. The Blue Oval is allegedly closing the plant even though the launch of the new 2010 Fusion, Milan and MKZ begins in December. Ford hasn't commented about plans to shutter the site for a month, but has stated that the launch is running on schedule and the refreshed triplets should hit dealer showrooms by the end of the first quarter. Ford analyst George Pipas has also stated that the automaker's capacity has to be in line with demand better in the fourth quarter and beyond, so expect plenty of the automaker's remaining plants to experience downtime in the near future.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]