Ford Motor Co. could fill empty production at a Michigan plant with that of its Ranger pickup truck, which is currently sold the world over but not in North America.
DETROIT, MI - Ford Motor Co. could fill empty production at a Michigan plant with that of its Ranger pickup truck, which is currently sold the world over but not in North America.
That's according to a report in The Detroit News, which cites unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. The News reports that the Dearborn automaker has entered contract negotiations with the UAW to bring production of the midsize pickup to Wayne's Michigan Assembly in 2018.
It would replace the lost production of the C-Max and Focus cars, which Ford has already announced will start being built outside the U.S. in 2018. That production is likely headed to Mexico, according to industry analysts.
Ford currently produces its Focus sedan, ST and electric models and its C-Max hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
The Ford Ranger is sold in some 180 markets around the world, but the U.S. and Canada are not among them. In the recent past, the reason given for that is because the midsize pickup is reportedly too close in size to the Ford F-150, and Ford wanted to concentrate on selling the latter in this market.
The last Ford Ranger built for North America rolled of an assembly line in St. Paul, Minn. at the end of 2011.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.