WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) - Ford Motor Co. won't rush details of its expected plan to trim U.S. jobs and close factories in the wake of General Motors Corp.'s announcement this week that it would close several North American plants and eliminate 30,000 jobs, CEO Bill Ford said Tuesday.

Mark Fields, the executive named to head Ford's Americas unit just last month, is scheduled to provide a downsizing plan to the automaker's board of directors in December. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company (F) has said it would detail the plan in January, and has warned that plant closings were likely to be part of it.

In a question-and-answer session following a speech on the need for government and industry cooperation on energy issues, including government incentives for research and sales of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, Ford rejected suggestions that the nation's No. 2 automaker needed to accelerate the rollout of its plan.

Ford said it was crucial that Fields and other executives working on the plan, which has been dubbed "Way Forward," have adequate time to formulate a long- range strategy.

"I need to give them the time to get it right, and we'll announce it when it is right. And right now, we think the January time frame is the right time," Ford said.

Larger rival GM (GM) on Monday said it would close five assembly plants, two stamping plants, two powertrain facilities and three services and parts operations, eliminating 30,000 jobs.

Fields last week told Ford employees in an e-mail that the company it would slash 10% of its North American white-collar work force -- some 4,000 jobs -- in the first quarter of 2006, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The automaker lost $284 million in the third quarter.

Ford was scheduled to meet with Bush administration officials later Tuesday to discuss his call for a summit of auto manufacturers, suppliers, fuel providers and government agencies to address energy issues.

In his speech delivered at the National Press Club, Ford called on the federal government to provide a range of subsidies to help U.S. automakers produce more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Despite inroads by foreign competitors, including the opening of some U.S. plants, homegrown automakers remain the "foundation" of the nation's auto industry, Ford said, providing health-care benefits for more than 2 million U.S. employees, retirees and family members and paying more than $11 billion in pensions to more than 800,000 retirees and surviving spouses.

"To put it simply, we invest in America -- and Americans -- every single day," Ford said.

Ford called on Congress to "dramatically increase" the research-and- development tax credit, tailoring it to provide direct support to companies working on advanced vehicles, components and fuel technologies, including gas- electric hybrids, ethanol, hydrogen and so-called "clean diesel."

He also called for incentives to help automakers turn outmoded plants into facilities that can build advanced technological vehicles and components.

Ford praised lawmakers for including tax credits of up to $3,600 for Americans who buy hybrid vehicles in the energy bill that President Bush signed into law earlier this year, and called for the creation of further incentives for the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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