P.M. BRIEFING : Mazda Puts Brakes on Output
<i> From Times wire services</i>
FLAT ROCK, Mich. —
Japanese auto maker Mazda plans to cut production by 11.3% at its plant later this month, and the company is counting on extra effort by the facility’s 2,800 hourly workers to help avoid layoffs, a spokesman said.
The plant’s assembly line will slow from producing 62 cars an hour to 55 cars because of sluggish sales of the Ford Probe, Mazda MX6 and 626, spokesman Jim Gill said. He did not specify the date the production cuts would take effect.
As of Dec. 31, dealers had a 157-day supply of unsold Probes and a 110-day supply of MX6s and 626s built at Flat Rock in downriver Detroit. A 60-65 day supply is considered normal.
