Wixom Assembly Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wixom Assembly Plant is a former Ford Motor Company automobile assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan. It was one of the company's largest and oldest manufacturing sites. The Wixom plant opened April 15, 1957, and encompassed 4.7 million ft², employing 1,600 workers. The last car produced was a white chocolate Lincoln Town Car which rolled off the line at 12:55pm on the 31st. of May, 2007.
During its long and continuing history, the plant has been mainly used for the manufacture of Lincolns and the Ford Thunderbird. The Lincoln Town Car and the Ford GT were produced there. Production of the Lincoln LS ended in the first week of April, 2006.
Wixom was the most profitable plant in the industry during the 1980s when Cadillac downsized its lineup and lost ground to Lincoln. Recently however, Lincoln has not kept up with changing tastes among luxury car consumers, who now prefer sportier, more performance-focused luxury cars instead of ostentatious "luxury yachts."
Due to Lincoln's falling sales, Ford announced on January 23, 2006 that the Wixom plant would be idled in 2007, as part of The Way Forward. Some analyists argued that the plant might not be closed. A report in the Oakland Press stated, "The fate of the Wixom plant, however, will depend on the shape of Ford's future product plan, which seems to be currently in flux." Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm, reportedly offered $115 million in tax cuts to keep the plant open. The plant was nonetheless idled in 2007.
Products:
- 1981-2007 Lincoln Town Car
- 1980–1983 Lincoln Mark VI
- 1958–2002 Lincoln Continental
- 2000–2006 Lincoln LS
- 2005–2006 Ford GT
- 1993–1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
- 1958–2005 Ford Thunderbird
[edit] References
- Wixom plant might be shut down. The_Oakland_Press. Retrieved on January 22, 2006.
- Ford's plans to slash production include Wixom. The_Oakland_Press. Retrieved on August 19, 2006.
