Mitsubishi Shuts Down Illinois Factory for 7 Weeks

After announcing that they would not be present at the Detroit Motor Show because of financial problems, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. gave their word that they would halt activities for seven weeks at its Illinois plant.

The shutdown will take place from the February 16 to the April 3 and as Dan Irvin, a spokesman for Mitsubishi North America, said, it marks the longest activity stop since the factory opened in 1988.

The factory, which employs 1,568 people, including more than 1,200 hourly workers represented by the UAW, is responsible for producing the Galant sedan and the Eclipse sports car. These people will remain on payroll and shift to non-production working. This means that they will do trainings and maintenance.

Although it is said that the industry dropped by 16% overall, Mitsubishi has taken a big hit with a 25% drop in sales. The only steeper decline we know of is Nissan's plunge of 44.4% on the US market.

Mitsubishi, Nissan, Infinity, Suzuki, Land Rover, and Rolls Royce, these are the car manufacturers that have announced that they will not be present at the Detroit Motor Show. Porsche have announced that they will not make it to any auto show until 2010. Honda decided to show up at the auto show and unveil a new car, but they will not hold any press conferences in order to save money.