DEARBORN, Mich – Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will build more of its popular Focus and Escape vehicles this quarter to meet growing demand from the federal government's Cash for Clunkers program.
As a result, the automaker now expects to produce 495,000 vehicles in the third quarter, up 2 percent from its prior forecast of 485,000.
The increase includes more than 6,000 Focuses, a small car that ranks as the second most popular new vehicle purchased under the Clunkers program, and 3,500 Escape crossovers, among the top 10 most popular.
Ford said it plans to build the Focuses at the Wayne Assembly Plant in Michigan, where the company will add Saturday shifts and weekday overtime to boost production.
The company will build the Escapes at its Kansas City Assembly Plant, where employees have agreed to work two days during a planned shutdown week in August.
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