The Auto Writer

Ford Europe Models To Be Included

The Ford Fiesta is one of as many as six European models expected to be built by Ford North America by 2010.

This past Monday all eyes were on General Motors when the automaker officially unveiled its production Chevy Camaro. Though the buzz with that release was big, it just may pale in comparison with the announcement expected to come from Ford on Thursday regarding FoMoCo’s future product strategy.

The New York Times is reporting that the Ford Motor Company will announce its plans for the future when the company holds a conference about its second quarter earnings on Thursday. Automotive analysts have been expecting that Ford was planning changes and, if the Times has their news correct, in two year’s time the Blue Oval’s North American line up will look dramatically different.

Among the expected changes are:

• As many as six European models will be built at Ford plants in North America. We already know that the Fiesta will be built in Mexico beginning next year, but several other models are being planned for production facilities in Canada, the US, and in Mexico.

• Mercury will remain part of the Ford portfolio with a good chance that the brand will shift more to smaller cars. Instead of selling rebadged Fords, several cars could be exclusive to Mercury. As part of that strategy, Mercury will be redefined.

• Truck and SUV production will continue to be scaled back. Ford believes that high gas prices are here to stay and will be retooling several plants to build cars or at least offer one assembly line capable of building cars.

• At least one production plant now building V8 engines will shift to V6 and I4 engines to keep up with the shifting market.

• Production of the popular Ford Focus will be increased to keep pace with demand. Expect that the current Focus to live on a bit longer, overlapping the all-new Fiesta when it arrives in 2009.

The US auto industry has been pummelled all year, especially the Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler — who have been long dependent on big trucks and SUVs for their profits. When the year comes to an end, industry sales are expected to finish down by at least ten percent over 2007.

For the first half of 2008, Ford’s sales were down fourteen percent over the previous year, but Ford sales in several markets including China, Europe, and Latin America are up over 2007.