Parts mogul Ross hunts for Ford gem in Mexico; C&A's Hermosillo factory supplies sedan interiors.(Suppliers)

Automotive News, June, 2007 by Barkholz, David

Byline: David Barkholz

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross is negotiating to buy the crown jewel of the Collins & Aikman Corp. bankruptcy auction: an interiors plant in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The factory generates about $300 million annually producing complete car interiors exclusively for Ford Motor Co.'s sedan assembly plant in Hermosillo.

Ford makes some of its most successful vehicles there - the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ. Combined U.S. sales of those sedans rose 14.3 percent to 97,272 units through May compared with the same period a year ago.

Ross confirmed his interest in an e-mail to Automotive News last week.

"Hermosillo is a facility essentially dedicated to Ford and has both good technological...

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