Ford Plant Could Be Next On Europe’s Chopping Block

Ford last closed a plant in Europe a decade ago, when its Dagenham assembly plant was shuttered, but the Blue Oval may be forced to do it again. Faced with excess capacity and mounting losses on the continent, Ford needs to trim some fat. According to a report by Bloomberg The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker's assembly plants in Southampton, England, and Genk, Belgium, may be vulnerable. The Southampton factory is apparently running at less than one-third capacity, and built fewer than 30,000 Transit vans last year. The Genk plant builds the Mondeo – an important car for Ford, but one that is cursed with a small market and a declining customer base. Europe's already volatile economy is hardly the place for a pseudo-upscale sedan like the Mondeo, as well as the S-Max crossover and the Galaxy minivan (which did have a slight uptick in sales this year). Ford isn't the first automaker trying to shed capacity, with Opel and PSA undertaking plans to shut down underperforming factories. And they probably won't be the last either. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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