Mitsubishi to idle US factory

Not only Detroit’s Big Three are cutting production in US car factories.

On the back of falling sales, Mitsubishi will close for seven weeks the US factory that builds the sporty Eclipse (pictured) and Galant sedan. The plant will shut between February 16 and April 3.

The 20-year-old factory is one of the few American factories owned by Japanese assembly plants whose workers are UAW unionists.

The 1200 hourly workers continue being paid as they shiftingshift to training and maintenance.

Mitsubishi’s US sales to the end of November were 25 percent down on the same period in 2007, and were 36 percent lower in November, year on year.