Ford, others, to reduce supplier base

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- U.S. auto giant Ford Motor Co. said it would reduce its supplier base 50 percent by the end of the year, a move similar to cutbacks by other U.S. automakers.

General Motors Corp.'s bankruptcy plan includes a 30 percent reduction in suppliers by 2011 while Chrysler LLC has already sold its viable assets to Fiat and reduced its supplier base by about 100 companies, The Detroit News reported Thursday.

An official with the Obama administration who requested anonymity denied the government's plan to revamp the auto industry included specific lists from automakers on which suppliers should be helped and which should be ignored.

"The auto task force is engaged in wide consultation … (and arrives at) our own independent judgments," the official said.