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Ford Motor Co said Thursday it is adding shifts at its truck plants in Michigan and Missouri in response to increased demand for its F-150 pickup trucks and Escape SUVs. Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant will return to a three-shift operation in September from two shifts, a move that will boost production of F-150 pickup trucks by about 10,000 this year. Ford is also adding a third shift at its Kansas City assembly plant in Missouri in October, which will increase production of Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs by 2,400 by the end of October. Read more

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US carmaker Ford Motor Co. announced yesterday that it is boosting Q-3 production in North America by another 10,000 units to meet increased demand for its vehicles. According to Ford Americas President Mark Fields, the company’s third-quarter production goal is now 495,000 units, about 18% higher than a year ago. Ford also increased its production targets for the fourth quarter to 570,000 vehicles, a 33% increase over the same period last year. Ford is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal government’s “cash for clunkers” program. Its Ford Focus compact has been one of the most popular choices for customers taking advantage of the program, which provides up to US$4,500 to motorists trading in gass guzzlers for new, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Recently US President Barack Obama signed into law a US$2B extension of cash for clunkers program after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned Congress the program was about to use up the initial US$1B allocated by lawmakers.

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Ford Motor Co will receive nearly US$5.9B in US government loans to spur development of more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Obama administration said last Tuesday. Japan’s Nissan Motor Co Ltd will receive US$1.6B, and start-up Tesla Motors Inc will receive US$465B in advanced technology financing from the Energy Department program. “By supporting key technologies and sound business plans, we can jumpstart the production of fuel-efficient vehicles in America,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said at Ford headquarters. “These investments will come back to our country many times over by creating new jobs, reducing our dependence on oil, and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. The agency plans additional loans over the next several months to automakers and suppliers. Chu said the administration began talks with Chrysler Group LLC on possible energy technology loans immediately after the company stepped out of bankruptcy protection this month. It is also having “technical” discussions with General Motors Corp, which is currently reorganizing in bankruptcy proceedings. Both companies applied for financing last year but their financial distress disqualified them from consideration in the first round of financing. The US$25B program is only open to viable (real) companies.

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