Stacy94PGT

By Bill Koenig and Joe Miller / Bloomberg News

Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit will idle about 13,655 workers at a total of five North American auto-assembly plants for the week starting Monday because of slow sales.

Ford will temporarily close four plants: Chicago, which makes Taurus and Sable sedans; Wayne, Michigan, which builds Focus small cars; St. Thomas, Ontario, which produces Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis sedans; and St. Paul, Minnesota, which makes Ranger pickup trucks. Chrysler will idle a Sterling Heights, Michigan, factory that builds Sebring and Stratus cars.

Chrysler's U.S. sales in September fell 15 percent from the year-earlier month, including 22 percent for cars. Ford's rose 0.8 percent, as light-truck sales led by the redesigned F-150 pickup overcame a 15 percent drop for its cars. Sales increased 2.1 percent industrywide for the month.

Most of Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford's planned cut in fourth-quarter production will be at plants that build cars, which "has been our Achilles' heel," said George Pipas, a sales analyst for the world's second-largest automaker.

Ford expects to reduce North American output this quarter by 6.4 percent from the year-earlier period to 890,000 cars and truck, and next week's shutdowns are part of that, Pipas said.

The four plants Ford will idle have a total of 10,455 workers. The factory Chrysler is shutting down has 3,200.

Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler, the third-largest U.S. automaker, also has a car plant in Brampton, Ontario, that next week continues a shutdown that began Aug. 28 to prepare for new models, spokeswoman Mary Beth Halprin said. The Brampton plant is scheduled to resume production early next year.

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Stacy94PGT
My first car was a 67 Mustang Coupe, 2nd one was a 67 Cougar XR-7, 3rd one was a 66 Mustang Coupe. Why did I get rid of these cars for ? I know why, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid.

My next Ford.....