The Ford logo is pictured on the rooftop of Austria's Ford head branch in Vienna March 19, 2013. 
 
 SYDNEY | 
 
 SYDNEY (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Thursday it is closing its two Australian auto plants and will cease production in the country in October 2016. 
 
 Ford Australia Chief Executive Bob Graziano said the company will close its engine plant in Geelong and its assembly plant in Broadmeadows, both in the state of Victoria. 
 
 The car manufacturer has struggled with sliding sales, high costs and a strong Australian dollar. 
 
 (Reporting By Jane Wardell; Editing by Michael Perry) ||||| Article Excerpt 
 
 GEELONG, Australia—Ford Motor Co. said it would stop producing cars in Australia in three years, foreshadowing hefty job losses in a setback for a government that has invested heavily in propping up the country's automobile industry. 
 
 The U.S.-based auto maker said it would end more than 90 years of car production in Australia in October 2016, resulting in 1,200 job losses. It cited unsustainably high business costs, with wages singled out as a particular concern. 
 
 "The business case simply didn't stack up," Ford Australia's Chief Executive Bob Graziano said. "Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four times ...
– Starting in October 2016, Ford will no longer produce vehicles in Australia, the company says. "Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four times Ford in Asia," says Ford Australia CEO Bob Graziano. Facing struggling sales and citing high wages, the firm will close its two plants in Victoria state, Reuters reports. The move will cut 1,200 jobs, the Wall Street Journal adds, noting that the company has made cars in the country since 1925. Last month, a strong Australian dollar pushed General Motors' Aussie operation to announce it would slash 500 jobs.