Mahwah Assembly


Mahwah Assembly was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, 30 miles from New York City. It occupied over 172 acres.

History

The factory began operations in 1955, and was closed in 1980. It was one of three manufacturing facilities in New Jersey. It was built two years after the Edison Assembly plant opened and would eventually replace the Ford Motor Company Edgewater Assembly Plant which closed in 1955.
Mahwah Assembly produced 6 million cars in the 25 years it operated before the last car rolled off the line on June 20, 1980. At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States. The Ford plant, along with other businesses such as American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the town and its reputation for low home property taxes. The Mahwah town sports teams remain named Thunderbirds in honor of the Ford plant.
A portion of the plant site was the U.S. headquarters of Sharp Corporation, but now is home to the US Headquarters of Jaguar/Land Rover and Amazing Savings building.

Products

Vehicles produced at the plant included 1957 Ford, Edsel, Ford Fairmont, Ford Galaxie, Ford Granada, Ford LTD, Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln Capri, Lincoln Premiere, Lincoln Versailles, Mercury Colony Park, Mercury Meteor, Mercury Monarch, Mercury Montclair, Mercury Monterey, and Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.

Popular culture

Bruce Springsteen's 1982 song, "Johnny 99", is about an auto worker who gets laid off from the Mahwah plant and shoots and kills a night clerk while drunk and distraught.