Ford Plans Flexible Manufacturing To Better Meet Consumer Demand And To Cut Incentives.

Through flexible manufacturing plants, Ford Motor Co. is hoping to step off the incentives merry-go-round, at least for some vehicles, by modulating production to meet fluctuating demand. The company will be closing one of two plants that make Tauruses and Sables - cutting production in half to 250,000 cars a year.

The closed plant, located near Chicago, will be renovated with a flexible body shop that will allow the company to produce the Mercury Montego sedan, the mid-sized Ford Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, and the Ford 500 sedan. The company will then moderate production of each vehicle to meet consumer demand.