|
|
Posted by Joe Cimoch on Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 21:32:16 :
From WSJ:
DETROIT -- The Big Three auto makers, in response to a further slackening of truck sales, plan to halt production of full-size pickups for part or all of January, a move likely to strain each company's turnaround plans.
Chrysler LLC will halt production at plants in Warren, Mich., and Fenton, Mo., right before Christmas and extend the shutdown through all of January, people familiar with the company's plans said.
A third truck plant in Mexico will shut down for the first two weeks of the month, said people familiar with those plants' production schedules.
General Motors Corp. said earlier this week it will take three of its pickup-truck plants down for two weeks in January to prevent oversupply. Its plants also close over the holiday.
Ford Motor Co. said its truck plants would likely be targeted for scaled back overtime or temporary shutdowns as part of Ford's production pullback in the first quarter, but declined to elaborate on specific plan for January.
Sales of full-size pickup truck sales fell 8.3% in November, a larger drop than the industry had seen in most previous months, according to Autodata Corp. Through October, pickup sales were down only 3%.
Chrysler has enough Dodge Rams to last four months.
Follow Ups: