A decision by Ford to cut its car line-up comes as no surprise to union officials in Windsor who say car sales have been on the decline across North America.
The automaker has announced the Taurus, Fusion and Fiesta will be gone by 2020, leaving only the Focus and Mustang in production. Ford plans to concentrate on pick-ups and SUV's instead.
The decision is being welcomed by workers at the automaker's two engine plants in Windsor. Unifor Local 200 President John D'Agnolo says it benefits local Ford operations. "Ford's really focused on the F-150 being number one once again. It's been number one for many years as you know and they're going to maintain that. They're going to start going into markets they haven't traditionally been in and that is only going to be good news for us."
The Essex engine plant makes the 5-litre V-8 found in the Mustang and F-series trucks. The Windsor engine plant, which is undergoing renovation, is expected to manufacture a large V-8 intended for pickup trucks and commercial use.
D'Agnolo says the newly-announced strategy is already showing promise for his membership. "It's absolutely reassuring. We're going in a new direction now. We've had a lot of layoffs, now we're starting to call pepole back and we're going to be looking at hiring people in the near future and it's exciting for us."