OTTAWA {(UPC) - Ford Motor Company of Canada has promised to reinstate 1,300 jobs this June and

“develop a new fuel-efficient ‘gompact car by 1983 in its

plant. at Oakville, Ont.,

‘Industry Minister Herb Gray

said Monday.

In return, the federal government. made limited conditional adjustments” the ratio of the number of

cars produced for sale rela- .

tive to the number of com- mercial vehicles, such as buses, vans, trucks, Gray told a news conference.

The adjustment will in- _crease car sales, the minister -shid. Astwell, a second shift,

Less safe

TORONTO (UPC) - Consumer advocate Ralph

“Nader has accused Ford

Motor Co. of offering cars to Canadian consumers less safe than those sold in the United States.

The company’s FMX automatic transmissions, redesigned for American-

“built models because of a

tendency to slip from the park position into reverse, were still being installed. in Canadian-built models, Nader charged in a letter to Transport Minister Jean-Luc Pepin.

“I urge you to investigate this matter and strive to end the double-standard of the Ford Motof Co., which apparently believes it can get away with selling Canadian motorists cars that are more hazardous than those that are for sale south of the border in the United States,” Nader wrote from Washington, D.C.—

A Ford - Canada spokesman however took issue with the suggestion Canadian motorists were being offered cars less safe thah those sold on the U.S. market, pointing out the Canadian-built cars were sold on both sides of the

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employing — 1,300, will be . not import transit or inter-

needed this. June for con- verting the plant to make a fuel-efficient, drive compact and tem- porarily produce the existing Ford LED.

“I attach great importance to the conversion of Cana- dian automotive plants, using the. latest technology,

to the manufacture of the - products of the future,” he —

said. “During the conver- sion, production of Ford's LTD will be increased.” Under the new agreement, the ratio for certain com- mercial vehicles and buses will be combined under one requirement. This “limited change” is based on the understanding that Ford will

border.

“As far as we are con- cerned, there is nothing wrong with any .of our transmissions,” he _ said Wednesday. He was unable to say whether the FMX transmissions were being ‘used in the Canadian-built cars but promised to provide further details today.

Nader said the continued use of the automatic tran- smissions was revealed in previously confidential documents released Wednesday along with details of a settlement on the

_Matter between Ford and the

U.S. government.

‘FMX transmissions were still being produced in Canada by the automaker even though the smissions were redesigned for 1980-model Ford cars in the United States, Nader said in his letter to Pepin.

In the. letter to Pepin, Nader traced the history of the FMX transmission through the design changes in 1980 models that, quoting the automaker, “will make transmission shift level misplacement from reverse and park somewhat more difficult.”

“But what Fotd Motor Co.

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city buses against this ratio, Gray said.

Under the previous a apree- ment, the 'U.S.-Canada Pact ‘demanded ‘Separate “sales - ratios for..cars, buses and commercial vehicles.

The_ changes will “hope- fully” imcrease Ford sales and reduce the $2.1 billion auto trade deficit with the

Fords being sold in

never told anyone is that it did not make the same improvement for 1980 cars manufactured in Canada.” Nader wrote. “Ford con- tinued to make the old-style FMX automatic tran- smissions that so frequently slipped from park into reverse for Canadian

consumers.”

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United. States by $500

million, a senior department Official said. —

Gray warned there was a “risk” Ford could have eventually- closed the Oakville plant, which has

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“I am pleased to see this

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