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Ford Michigan Assembly Plant Quietly Stops Production Of The Focus, C-Max

After endless rumors and reports, the Focus and C-Max have been discontinued from Ford’s North American lineup. The Michigan Assembly Plant rolled off the final models on May 4th, 2018, and the automaker didn’t even celebrate the event.
Ford C-Max Hybrid 11 photos
Photo: Ford
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From Automotive News: “The last day of production wasn't met with any official celebration. No TV news crews. No final group photo.” Reading between the lines, this is a fundamental change in the way the Ford Motor Company does business in North America. After all, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs reign supreme these days.

While there’s no direct replacement for the C-Max, the Focus will come back to the United States as the Focus Active in 2019. And it will be manufactured in Chongqing, China, following in the footsteps of the Yantai-built Buick Envision. Given these circumstances, what’ll happen to the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant?

As we speak, the Dearborn-based automaker is converting the facility to welcome the Ranger for the 2019 model year. And after the mid-size pickup truck, the Jeep Wrangler-rivaling 2020 Bronco will follow suit, riding on the Ranger’s platform.

In the coming years, the Fusion and Taurus will also be discontinued from the U.S. lineup, joining the Fiesta, Focus, and C-Max. The Mustang, therefore, will be the only passenger car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. For the rest of the lineup, trucks and utility vehicles of all shapes and sizes will have to make do, ranging from the EcoSport to the Expedition and F-Series.

There’s even an all-electric SUV in the offing, developed by Team Edison and marketed as the Mach 1. What’s more, the Ford Motor Company confirmed that it would introduce hybridized versions of the Mustang, Escape, Explorer, and F-150.

On a related note, all new Ford models sold in the United States will have 4G LTE connectivity by 2019. Also from a technological standpoint, automatic emergency braking (AEB) will become standard by 2022.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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