Ford stops production for third time of poor selling B-max

Ford Motor Co.'s Romanian unit will halt production of the B-Max minivan for 13 days in November, its third straight month of stoppages at the plant in response to weak European demand.

Ford began production of the B-Max in Craiova last year. It now produces roughly 370 cars a day as well as 1,000 engines for several models.

"We will stop car production for 13 days and engine production for eight days in November," said Ford Romania spokeswoman Ana-Maria Timis on Tuesday. "The eight-day stoppage in engine production is caused by low demand for vehicles and overlaps with the period of suspension of car production."

In September and October, Ford had stopped only car output.

Ford Romania employs about 4,000 people, almost all of whom will be affected by the production halt. They will receive 80 percent of their wages during the stoppage.

Ford boosted its full-year global profit forecast last week as the European picture brightened and stronger overseas demand led to better-than-expected quarterly results.

The automaker sold 55,034 B-Max models in the first nine months in Europe, making it the company's No. 4-selling model in the region after the Fiesta, Focus and C-Max, according to data from researcher JATO Dynamics.

Ford recently closed two ancillary plants in England and plans to shut its car assembly factory in Genk, Belgium, at the end of 2014.

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Triple success for Ford in Sunday Times awards

A hat-trick of Ford models scooped ‘best in class’ honours in the Sunday Times’ annual Top 100 review of Britain’s best cars.

Ford’s three category wins are unprecedented in the Sunday Times Top 100, and build on Ford’s double success last year.

The Sunday Times and its Driving.co.uk website voted Ford Fiesta the best supermini, Ford Fiesta ST number one hot hatch and Ford S-MAX winner of its Multi-Purpose Vehicle category.

The Ford Fiesta, the UK’s top-selling car, has already taken a dozen major UK awards this year.  The Sunday Times said of the Fiesta in Titanium trim with its innovative turbo-powered 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine:  “It’s really very hard to say whether the car’s greater appeal is its looks, or the fact that it is far and away the best car to drive among its rivals. No wonder that ever since it came out, the Fiesta has been Britain's best-selling car.”

Its performance derivative, the Ford Fiesta ST, features a lowered chassis, more aggressive styling and turbo-powered, direct-injection 180PS 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine – a unique combination that takes Ford’s famous dynamics to a new high.

“For people who live in the real world, where budgets are micro-managed and journeys are often long and boring, it’s possible this Ford could be the most significant hatchback of recent years,” concluded the Sunday Times.  “Fast, comfortable and frugal, it is the best of all worlds wrapped up in a car that costs less than any number of rivals.”

The stylish Ford S-MAX has sold more than 6,000 units in the first nine months of this year, proving its unique character as the most sporty seven-seater available. The Sunday Times said:  “The S-MAX is unique among cars of this type. Why? Because ever since it was launched in 2006 it has been both a first class people carrier and a genuinely rewarding car to drive ─ something that no other MPV has managed.”

Ford’s new small MPV, the B-MAX, also impressed, taking second place within a year of going on sale:  “Just as the S-MAX calls the shots among large MPVs, so the B-MAX does at the other end of the category.”

Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain chairman and managing director, said:  “We are proud that Ford has earned so many Sunday Times Top 100 accolades, reflecting some of the many stars in our best-ever product range.  The UK team and its dealers appreciate this huge endorsement from the Sunday Times.”