Ford to Idle Michigan Plant for Two Weeks Due to Growing Focus and C-Max Inventories

by TTAC Staff

October 23rd, 2013 6:00 AM

ford to idle michigan plant for two weeks due to growing focus and c max inventories

Ford Motor Company’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan will be idled for two weeks to reduce inventories of the Focus and C-Max. The plant will close for a week at the end of this month and then for another week in the middle of December.

The Focus started October with a 71 day supply, slightly over the 60 day supply that’s considered ideal in the North American market, while C-Max inventories have ballooned to 122 days supply.

“We expect to take approximately two weeks of downtime at our Michigan Assembly Plant starting this month, as we continue to match production with demand,” said Ford spokesperson Kristina Adamski in a statement.

#C-Max #Focus #Ford #MichiganAssemblyPlant

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18 of 51 comments

Volt 230 on Oct 23, 2013

I always read: "Wait till the European Focus get here, it's gonna kill the competition" Well it got here and so what? where are them numbers? Oh, and I think Cruze has something to do with that!!

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- Big Al from Oz on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @Volt230 My mother has a Michigan built Focus. It is nothing like the Focuses we get here in Australia or what my niece drives in Paris. The looks are similar, but that's about it. The build quality on her Focus is simply poor. It wouldn't sell in Australia or Europe to well either. Just because a vehicle is 'imported' into the US and built there doesn't mean it's the same.
  
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- Bball40dtw on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @Big Al from Oz What specifically is worse in the Wayne, MI built Focus? The 2.0L NA engine is pretty much North America only and they most likely cheap out on suppliers here more than anywhere else.
  
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- SV on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @Big Al from Oz According to Ford the US Focus is 80% the same as the EU model, the main difference being, I'd imagine, the powertrain. I have doubts that the US model is assembled very differently. A few poor panel fits here and there do not a different car make. For what it's worth, my ST is assembled quite well.
  
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- Big Al from Oz on Oct 24, 2013
  
  @SV The US Focus is of poorer quality. The interiors look like something the UK would have thought fantastic in the 80s. The quality of materials used in the interior are subpar. The secondary areas are poorly finished. Rust is forming on a 12 month old vehicle. As mentioned panel fit isn't the best. The US Focus is a poorly built sister of the European or the Focus we receive.
  
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- Dixiehwy25 on Oct 27, 2013
  
  @Big Al from Oz You're right, Al. I was all primed for the original Focus after reading on it's debut in CAR. However that award-winning euromobile was translated into loss leader basic transport by the time it got here. The back story is that having been burned by the lackluster sales of the Contour (Mondeo), and a need to replace an ancient Escort, Ford had the Focus replace them both in the US. We had a base model at work for a while. Nice little car to drive, but plasticky/cheap- nothing like the Euro version, It left us after I got stranded when the ignition switch became immobile. The tow truck driver told me that was endemic in early Foci here, and Ford did a recall. Ford's done better in translation since Mullaly's drive for "World Platforms", but I reckon bean counters still hold more sway here. Now my sister's Flex is really nice...
  
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Conslaw on Oct 23, 2013

If I were Ford, I'd allocate some of the over-produced C-Maxes as service loaners. They are just really nice everyday cars. I agree with Dave M. that the car could use an additional 5 inches; though yesterday I parked my car in the garage without putting away the lawnmower. It is natural for C-Max sales to be seasonal. The MPG goes down in the winter. My last taken was just shy of 47 MPG. My current tank (with a cold front) is 45 indicated, probably 43 actual. The dead of winter may bring high 30s. Horrors!

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- Thelaine on Oct 23, 2013
  
  Conslaw, I have a friend who has narrowed his next purchase down to C-Max and comparable version of Prius. I would share your thoughts on this with him if you have a moment to write something.
  
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- Thelaine on Oct 23, 2013
  
  I told him he should lean toward the Prius because it has established a solid reliability record and C-Max is new.
  
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- Thelaine on Oct 23, 2013
  
  Sorry, one more thing: He likes to buy them new and drive them into the ground.
  
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- Bball40dtw on Oct 23, 2013
  
  Even though our MKT is nicer, I'd much rather take the C-Max downtown Detroit, Royal Oak, Birmingham, etc, because of parking and in town fuel economy. I don't think I'd want the C-Max to be any bigger.
  
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- Bball40dtw on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @thelaine I would tell them buy a C-Max, but I love my C-Max. Its quiet, comfortable, quirky, and versatile. It's easy to get my 11 month old in and out off, and I am averaging 42 MPG, with a lead foot. The Prius V is a good vehicle as well. It just wasn't for me. Quinten seems to really like his though.
  
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- Thelaine on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @bball40dtw Gracias bball
  
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- Conslaw on Oct 23, 2013
  
  @thelaine Try them all. The Prius hatchback gets the best MPG. The Prius V has the most cargo room. The C-Max is the quickest and quietest. I think it has the nicest interior and best gadgets.
  
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Sketch447 on Oct 23, 2013

Ford likes to sell A LOT of Focuses (Foci?) at big discounts. This enables Ford to sell more trucks and still meet CAFE. It worked well for years because the Focus had cool styling and superior dynamics compared to its competitors. And decent quality too. But the small car competition is very fierce now. Every manufacturer offers a superb small car. The Sentra, Corolla, Civic, Cruze, Elantra....they all do pretty much everything at least as good as the Focus. Two competitors have been hurting the Focus: the Cruze and the Elantra. Both look much more upscale than the Focus.

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- Scoutdude on Oct 23, 2013
  
  Selling Focus vehicles doesn't allow them to sell more trucks as there is a CAFE standard for cars and one for trucks and they are tabulated separately.
  
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Lightbulb on Oct 23, 2013

Looks like the chickens are coming home to roost. With all the lies about the c-max mpg, then the continuous infamous issues with the dct and ford sync, its no surprise sales are down on these cars. The focus and c-max could be great vehicles if ford would spend more time in r&d to work out issues before they release Them.

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- Volt 230 on Oct 23, 2013
  
  But the Focus had been on sale in Europe for a long time b4 coming here, you would have thought they got all the bugs out before coming here, specially with their premium price
  
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