Ford May Exit Some Markets in South America, JPMorgan Says

Ford Motor Co. is on the verge of taking dramatic action to turn around its money-losing business in South America, including possibly exiting some markets in the region, a JPMorgan analyst said after meeting with two of the company’s top executives.

“Ford seems to be working on an out-of-the-box transformational plan to stanch what it deems as unacceptable losses in South America, which we suspect could be announced over the short-term,” auto analyst Ryan Brinkman wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. He said the company may work more closely with rival automakers, “perhaps even via some sort of formal tie-up. It could also entail selective exits from certain markets.”