Chrysler announces cutback in truck produttion. You're move GM

Following both General Motors and Ford, now Chrysler is going to shut down their truck plants for a while. Effective this month, Chrysler LLC is going to temporarily close their Warren, The Jefferson North Assembly and Windsor Assembly plants.

The Warren plant that assembles the Dodge Ram and Dakota pickup trucks will be closed the longest, from December 21 to February 4. Jefferson North, home of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs, will close for three weeks starting January 4, 2008. That plant will also lose 911 workers, and will lose its second shift as of February 4. The Windsor plant, in Ontario, Canada, which builds the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, will close January 14 for two weeks.

Source: Automotive News.

Ford idles truck and SUV plants

Following the lead from General Motors, Ford today has ceased production at their F150 Dearborn, Mi factory(the famous Rouge factory) along with the Louisville, Ky factory that produces the Explorer. It is unclear as to how long the factories will remain closed.

Sales of both models have continued to fall this year. F150 sales are 12.4% below 2006 figures. The Explorer is at 23.5% vs. 2006. The closings give ford a combine 10,450 units per week lost for the F150 and Explorer.

Ford exec Mark Fields said in a related article in the Detroit News that the Ford Motor Company is expecting a rough 2008 as car sales in the U.S. continue to decline. Fields asked and answered his own question, saying, "Do I think it's going to be Armageddon? No." He continued by saying that Ford will take the coming year on a month-to-month basis in order to "manage the business appropriately."

Source: Automotive News, Detroit News.