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PARIS -- Ford of Europe could cut production by up to 15 percent in response to the downturn in the car market.

"We are going to have to adjust our capacity to customer demand. A ten to 15 percent adjustment is what we need to make to the running rate going forward," Ford of Europe CEO John Fleming told Automotive News Europe.

Ford makes about 2 million cars and vans a year in its European factories.

Fleming said most of Ford's European factories worked at more than 100 percent of manned capacity over the last 12 to 15 months.

Ford has already reduced production at its Transit commercial vehicle plant in Southampton, southern England and is also taking volumes down at its Transit factory in Turkey.

The company is looking at reducing its number of agency and temporary workers in Germany, Fleming said.

Ford of Europe could also have down days and other short-term steps to reduce production.

Fleming said: "I don't see a major restructuring at Ford of Europe; it depends on how the market goes.''

E-mail John Revill at jrevill@craincom.de