Ford Trims Focus, C-Max Output

Ford Motor Co. plans to suspend U.S. production of the Focus small sedan and C-Max small wagon for two weeks because of ballooning dealer inventories.

Ford says it will idle its assembly plant in Wayne, Mich., between Oct. 28 and Nov. 16 and could make further adjustments later in the year to match production with demand.

Inventories of unsold Focus cars rose from 58 days to 71 days during the past month, and supplies of C-Max models jumped from 108 days to 122 days, according to Automotive News. A 60-day supply is usually considered normal.

Ford previously reported that U.S. demand this year for the Focus inched up 1% to 188,700 units in January-September. Sales of the C-Max, introduced late last year, rose to 28,300 units from about 1,000 units in the same period.