In January, Ford announced it would cut back on production of its EV pickup, the F-150 Lightning. But the automaker had a plan to make amends: a large group of employees from the Lightning plant would move to factories that produced the Ranger and Bronco – two models for which Ford increased production targets.
Now that’s going to change. Crain’s Detroit Company reports that Ford will begin cutting Bronco production amid rising inventories and lower sales. The move will entail the need to relocate about 400 manufacturing workers from the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne to other facilities, although no one will be laid off, according to reports.
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Crain notes that Bronco sales are down 10% through October and they are in dealerships longer. Cox Automobile recently noted that Ford’s new vehicle inventory reached a daily supply of 115 in October, compared to 85 across the industry.
The production change, which Ford said in a memo would “reduce our line rate to better meet customer demand for the Bronco,” will happen early next year.
Meanwhile, collateral damage may already be happening: Some industry observers have speculated that a wave of layoffs announced by Michigan auto supplier Webasto Roof Systems may be related to Ford’s withdrawal from the Bronco.
Webasto, Crain’s says, “has notified the state of its plans Lay off 218 employees as a result of reduced production at a customer.” Although that customer was unnamed, the magazine pointed out that the Ford Bronco program was one of the largest for Webasto.
Capping a difficult week for Ford was the coinciding announcement that the automaker would cut its workforce in Europe and Britain by 4,000 workers by the end of 2027.
More bad news for the Bronco, specifically: the NHTSA earlier this week announced an investigation examining whether an April Ford recall involving the Bronco Sport and Maverick pickup was effective. At issue is an issue where the vehicles can suddenly lose power, a condition that a handful of consumers say persisted even after the recall was issued.
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