Mitsubishi idles Illinois plant for three months

Japanese automaker Mitsubishi says it's extendeing production downtime at its struggling Normal, Illinois, assembly plant, though the automaker says that the 1,400 employees will still report to work and be paid as usual. The automaker has been debating the future of the assembly plant, which has to uphold its UAW contract for another four years.

The plant, which assembles the Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant, will be idled for a total of 12 weeks from February 6 to May 8.

The automaker's sales dropped about 25 percent last year in the United States - and nearly all of the products that come out of the Illinois plant are destined for the North American market.

Mitsubishi's CEO has suggested that the plant might best be utilized for export production. Rumors continue to swirl that Mitsubishi will downsize its North American lineup to compete better in the lucrative small car segment, though the automaker hasn't confirmed any such plans.