2017 Ford Flex Ford is killing its boxy Flex wagon after 11 years of production time spent, for the most part, in the sales doldrums.When the vehicle was first shown at the 2005 North American International Auto show, Ford called it the Fairlane concept, resurrecting a much-revered old nameplate. (No surprise, that choice made pretty much everybody angry, just as Fords new maybe-Mach E-badged SUV has all over again.)Despite the stupid name, the vehicle was marketed as an upscale, roomy, retro vehicle with all-wheel drive, albeit one not necessarily meant for taking off-road. It could have been something great, but Ford decided to advertise it as an edgy machine for young urbanites, and not the family truckster it obviously was. The Flex continued leading a hard life marketed alongside the venerable Explorer, instead of replacing it outright.While the Explorer refused to move to a new platform due to the perceived towing benefits of the rear-wheel-drive chassis, it would eventually move to the Flex platform, ironically. The Explorer was no doubt the ugly duckling of the two, but name recognition kept it in buyers minds enough to outsell the Flex.The Flex was built in Oakville, Ontario, which means all the workers tasked with its assembly will have to find work somewhere else. Some 450 jobs will be cut from Ford production at the plant, according to an email sent to Automotive News Canada by Ford of Canada spokesperson Lauren
Origin: Ford Flex discontinued, Ontario assembly plant nixes 450 jobs
Assembly
Fiat investing in new plant assembly line to build electric 500
Robots manufactured by Comau are pictured on the assembly line of the Fiat 500 BVE, the first of its kind in Europe, during its inauguration at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Mirafiori plant in Turin on July 11, 2019.Miguel Medina / Getty Fiat announced mid-July it was investing US$788 million into its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy in order to build a battery electric (BEV) version of its 500 city car.The first robots on the new assembly line were installed July 11 at a ceremony that saw the automaker announce the plants production target of some 80,000 BEVs per year.Production of these next-gen electrics will begin in the second quarter of 2020, said Pietro Gorlier, FCAs chief operating officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and the production target could later be expanded.FCA plans to invest a total of US$5.6 billion in Italian production by
Origin: Fiat investing in new plant assembly line to build electric 500
FCA confirms a US$355-million investment in Windsor Assembly Plant
A production line worker assembles a Chrysler plant in Windsor, Ont. on January 18, 2011.Geoff Robbins / The Canadian Press FCA Canada officials confirmed their commitment to the Windsor Assembly Plant April 17, informing Unifor officials it will invest US$355 million in the plant for future product in the next 12 months. “There’s no question Fiat Chrysler is committed to Windsor,” said Unifor national president Jerry Dias after meeting with Mark Stewart, FCA’s Head of NAFTA Manufacturing, for 90 minutes at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. “The bottom line is they’re investing for future product. It doesn’t mean it’ll save the third shift, but that’s what we’ll work on now.” It was the first formal sit-down the two sides have held since FCA announced three weeks ago it was eliminating the third shift and 1,500 jobs at the Windsor Assembly Plant as of September 30. The company has blamed softening sales of the Pacifica and Grand Caravan for the decision. In Canada, FCA has only sold 816 Pacificas through the end of March this year. That represents a drop of 59 percent over last year, when Canadians bought 2,012 Pacificas in the first three months of 2018. Caravan sales were up 13 percent last month (3,370 vehicles), but are down nine percent for the year compared to a year ago. FCA has sold 8,206 Caravans this year. In the U.S., Pacifica sales in 2019 are down 29 percent to 23,274 vehicles while the Caravan has declined by 18 percent to 35,4340 minivans. Dias said the conversation was detailed about the future of the plant, but couldn’t divulge what that future product might entail. It’s been heavily rumoured that FCA will introduce an all-wheel version of the Pacifica and revive the Voyager nameplate as a new lower-cost minivan to replace the Caravan. The Caravan is currently due to be phased out after 2020. “Ultimately it’s a good news message today. They know what they want to do, but they’re finalizing a few things,” Dias said. “They want to maximize their investment in Windsor. The Pacifica platform gives them all kinds of
Origin: FCA confirms a US$355-million investment in Windsor Assembly Plant
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