Ford Motor wants to boost the production output of its Fusion sedan. The company said that the factory could make another model as demand increases. Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said that the company has the flexibility to do more in the future. He made the statement as the first Fusion units rolled off the production line in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally has hired around 6,500 new workers in 2013 in the United States, where Ford is the second biggest automaker. The company has led the industry when it came to market share growth so far this year. The Fusion is challenging Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry as the top selling car in the US. The Fusion sold at an average premium of more than $2,300 per unit.
At the Flat rock plant, 1,400 new workers were hired to improve Fusion capacity more than 30 percent. Demand for the model overwhelmed the only factory it was made. Hinrichs said that the company could have sold more Fusion if they had made more.
Aside from the Fusion, the Flat Rock facility also produces the Mustang sports car. The two are based on different vehicle architectures. Hinrichs said that Ford could do a lot of different things. The United Auto Workers union has hinted that Ford may add another vehicle at the said plant.
The Flat Rock facility is around 25 miles southwest of downtown Detroit. The city has filed for the biggest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States. Detroit is trying to recover as the auto industry in the US nears its fourth annual sales gain in a row. This was the longest streak in more than a decade.
The auto industry’s seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate for August may increase to around 16 million cars and light trucks. The pace last went above that level in November 2007.
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