Fight to save Ford plant faces long odds

[katinmn]

With Pawlenty at the helm, I'm not optimistic.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/13703441.htm
Fight to save Ford plant faces long odds

Miracles happen, and it still may take one to save St. Paul's Ford plant.
The factory won a welcome reprieve Monday, perhaps in part because of an unlikely alliance between its United Auto Workers local and the Pawlenty administration. They are trying to persuade Ford to retool the plant, possibly to produce environmentally clean hybrids — vehicles powered by both electricity and gasoline.

But the governor's promise to do what it takes to save the plant, made as he gears up to run for re-election in November, could run smack up against the daunting costs of retooling the plant for such a transformation. The union estimates that it could cost between $500 million to $750 million to convert the plant to make hybrids and equip it for the flexible manufacturing capacity that the company seeks.

Nobody beyond Ford's top brass knows how much of that tab the company might want the state and local governments to pick up. However, in today's tight-fisted fiscal climate, resistance to proposals for big subsidies is a virtual certainty and probably good public policy as well.

And Ford's announcement that it would close seven North American assembly plants by 2012 named only three — the 80-year-old St. Paul plant could well end up among the four others.

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[CatholicEdHead]

1. Only thing to save plant is probably this truck

http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/25/update-world-premiere-ford-4-trac-concept-truck/

It is the new concept truck that would be pegged to replace the Ranger. It was debuted in Thailand.

The decision to take this design to market will be a make and break one for the St Paul plant.