Ford Is Said to Shift Plans Again for Underused Mustang Plant

[Omaha Steve]

A Ford Mustang stands on the production line at the company’s assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan in 2017. Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg

By Keith Naughton and Gabrielle Coppola

Ford Motor Co. is changing course a third time in as many years with its Mustang assembly plant in Michigan, nixing plans to make a new model there and tentatively shifting production to a factory in Ohio, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ford no longer intends to build electric vehicles alongside Mustangs at its plant in Flat Rock, south of Detroit, according to the people, who asked not to be identified. The product now appears to be heading to the automaker’s plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, where it’s investing $900 million to build an unspecified new product in 2023.

The United Auto Workers outlined the Ohio investment Friday in a document highlighting the tentative agreement the union reached with Ford earlier this week. Workers will start voting on the contract on Nov. 4.

Roughly a year and a half after moving production of a future electric sport utility vehicle to Mexico from Flat Rock, Michigan, Ford said in March it planned to build other battery-powered models there and add a second shift of workers by 2023. The apparent switch to Ohio leaves the factory making only the Mustang and the Lincoln Continental sedan.

FULL story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-01/ford-is-said-to-shift-plans-again-for-underused-mustang-plant