The Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan used to make the Ford Mustang (from 2005 onward) and the previous-generation Mazda6. However, now that the Japanese sedan went out of production on U.S. soil last year, there was room for one more model at the factory.
Now, Ford has announced that it has just commenced production of the Fusion sedan, alongside the Mustang, marking the first time the mid-size sedan has been built in the United States.
In order to do this, the Blue Oval hired an additional 1,400 workers and invested some $555 (€420) million into a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop to allow multiple models to be produced on the same assembly line and tooling, and meet demand and ease the strain on the Hermosillo plant in Mexico, which up until now was the only one building the car.
This will add another 100,000 Fusions per year to the total North American Fusion output, which is set to rise to 450,000 units per year. It’s still down on the Toyota Camry which can be built at a rate of 475,000 units per year in North America, but it does match the Honda Accord.
Still, the production boost is motivated, with the Fusion recording 13 percent better sales this year, and having a pretty face that people want to see.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
