In response to the sagging pickup truck market, Ford announced that it will be eliminating one shift at its F-150 plant in Kansas City indefinitely. The second shift at the production plant will be eliminated on August 11, with no plans to restate the shift unless demand sharply increases.
However, Ford plans to keep the plant running near full capacity by adding a third shift to the plant’s Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute lines. Both the F-150 and the trio of crossovers are built at the Kansas City plant.
Ford recently shut down F-150 production at the plant for two weeks and is scheduled to operate on two shifts for the next five weeks, according to Automotive News. The plant will then shut down on July 21 for inventory adjustment and a planned summer shut down, with the plant restarting production the week of August 11.
Once the plant reopens in August, it will begin producing the all-new F-150 on just one shift.
Ford recently announced that it will be idling its Wayne, Michigan truck and SUV plant for nine weeks.
Although a new model is usually a good way to bolster demand, with gas hovering around $4 a gallon, it looks as though all large trucks and SUVs may be doomed – no matter how good they are.
06/19, 1:05 PM
posted by:
beantownslut
The world can’t have all good news.
Yay Celtics x 17!!
06/19, 1:41 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Large trucks and SUVs aren’t ‘doomed’ LLN. All the current price of fuel has done is eliminate the posers who didn’t need a big rig like that in the first place. You’re never going to haul a generator to a construction site or tow a 5th wheel with a f*cking Yaris.
06/19, 2:59 PM
posted by:
inline6
Doomed? Give me a frigging break. Truck sales aren’t at record lows. No one’s canning them. It’s just that after a decade and a half of sales increases, we’re seeing declines.
Trucks survived the gas crisis of ‘73-’74, and the second one in ‘79. They’ll survive this one, too.
06/19, 8:31 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
Agree with comments 2 & 3, is see dually trucks at my daughters school, and wonder WTF.
06/20, 11:36 PM
posted by:
pk20220
Doommed my a$$. Yeah truck sales may be down quite a bit, but the F-150 being in 5th place saleswise is hardly a reason to ditch the product. Some people do actually have a need to haul and tow stuff.