Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Earnings/Financials The consumer shift away from large gas guzzling vehicles has forced auto manufacturers in Australia, the land of large RWD saloons, to rethink and realign their production plans. Ford's Aussie subsidiary is boasting that it'll be the first automaker Down Under to respond to the movement towards smaller vehicles by starting production of its own small car locally. In 2011, production of the next-gen Ford Focus hatchback will kick off at Ford's Campbellfield plant in the Australian state of Victoria, where it'll join production of the new Falcon sedan and Territory SUV. The move will create 300 new jobs at the plant but doesn't come soon enough to save 600 workers at Ford's Geelong engine plant who last week found out the plant is closing in 2010. Ford will build up to 40,000 units per year of the new small hatch, with 15,000 cars earmarked for export to New Zealand and South Africa, with even more countries expected to be announced closer to the beginning of production. Export deals are vital to make a good business case for Australian built cars. Both Toyota and GM Holden also export cars built on the island continent. [Source: Ford]Continue reading Ford Oz to pick up Focus production in 2011 Permalink | Email this | Comments More...
