NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Ford Motor Co. is consolidating its vehicle design units, according to a published report Tuesday, a move that is expected to result in an undetermined number of job cuts.

The Detroit News reports that the four "engineering clusters" that focused on large cars, small cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles will be replaced by two units, one that focuses on so-called body-on-frame vehicles such as pickups and most sport/utility vehicles, and one that will develop unibody vehicles, such as car models, minivans and the so-called "crossover" vehicles.

The News reports that the consolidation is designed to create greater engineering efficiencies and lower product development costs, while accelerating the introduction of new models.

Ford is under pressure to cut costs and stem losses in its North American auto operations. It had already announced it would eliminated more than 2,900 white-collar jobs this year and consolidate the U.S. sales and field operations of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. Other details of the reorganization plan are due to be announced in January.

The latest move comes after Phil Martens, who led Ford product development group, resigned in October. Will Boddie, chief engineer for North America, also left the company in recent months, the paper reports.

For more on the rough outlook for Ford and General Motors sales, click here.

For more news on autos and automakers, click here.