[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Ford claims it's not profitable to keep the truck operation here anymore, so it's shutting down the São Bernardo do Campo plant where the Cargo range, the F-350/F-4000 and the Fiesta are made, until the end of this year. Even though the F-350 and F-4000 used to be strong sellers before the hiatus from late-2011 to 2014, and the Cargo received some improvements recently including an optional AMT for some versions, the competition in the local market against Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo has been tough, plus the Chinese trucks becoming widespread in regional export markets and also fitted with either copies of Isuzu engines or some license-made Cummins took away what could be perceived as an advantage for the Cargo. When it comes to the F-4000, even though it's the only of its class with 4WD available (that Mexican RAM 4000 and the Silverado 3500 are not sold here), there has been some rejection to its current Cummins ISF2.8 engine among traditional buyers who prefer a lower-revving one.