Some consolation was offered to Michiganders yesterday as, while production of the Ford Focus and C-MAX vehicles is shifting away from Michigan Assembly by 2018, manufacture of a new Ford product is headed to take their place – at least partly.
Automotive News reports that upon discontinuation of the Lincoln MKS sedan after 2016, and subsequent replacement by the 2017 Lincoln Continental, that product will be built at Ford’s facility in Flat Rock, Michigan.
AN reports that the news comes just a week before contract talks with the UAW are set to begin. The union has around 3,100 members at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant, so that the 2017 Lincoln Continental could prove an effective concession during talks.
US Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan (D) welcomed the news, tweeting: “Good news for Flat Rock plant — future home of the all-new Lincoln Continental, which will be exported to the world and keep jobs at home!”
Meanwhile, Ford’s Michigan Assembly – with its workforce of around 4,000 – is left waiting for any news of incoming products to replace the lost Focus and C-MAX.
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