Ford halts production of gigantic SUV
jamaicaobserver.com ^ | October 02, 2005
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) - The last Ford Excursion, a super-sized sport-utility vehicle, rolled off the assembly line Friday as the automaker shifts its focus to producing more fuel-efficient vehicles. The company announced in July that it would halt production of the 19-foot (5.7-metre) gas-guzzler as sales of its larger SUVs dragged.
The last Excursion rolled off the assembly line at the Louisville plant at 1:30 pm EDT on Friday, said Ann Marie Gattari, a spokeswoman at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
Gattari said the decision to quit making the Excursion at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville came about a year ago. She said the plant has shifted its focus to producing Ford's Super Duty trucks. "It was a business decision to end production," she said.
Ford debuted the Excursion in 2000 and sold 50,000 of the vehicles, but sales have stalled each year since. Sales of Ford's three largest SUVs - including the Expedition and Explorer - fell by more than 24 per cent in the first three months of 2005.
The Excursion, along with other large SUVs produced by other automakers like General Motors' Suburban, have drawn criticism from environmental and conservation groups for their poor fuel economy.
"I think the fact that the last Excursion is rolling off the line is a sign of how long Ford waited before it started actually addressing these issues," said Paul West, a spokesman for the Rainforest Action Network. The San Francisco-based group has campaigned for Ford to cut emissions and improve fuel economy.
"Ford didn't really address it because it wanted to do the right thing," West said. "Ford's addressing it because gas prices are skyrocketing and people are freaking out."
Ford Motor Co Chairman and CEO Bill Ford said earlier this month that gas-electric hybrid engines will be available in half of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury line-up by 2010. Ford said the automaker will be able to produce 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010.
Ford shares closed unchanged Friday at $9.86 on the New York Stock Exchange. |
