Ford Motor Co. announced today that it would cut North American production of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles for the rest of the year. The company also said it no longer expects to make a profit by 2009, as high gas prices and a weak economy have hurt sales, the Associated Press reported

“Unless there is a fairly rapid turnaround in U.S. business conditions, which we are not anticipating, it now looks like it will take longer than expected to achieve our North American automotive profitability goal,” said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO, in a release.

Ford cut back projections for total U.S. sales this year to between 15 million and 15.4 million vehicles, down from 17 million in 2005.

It will cut production by 15 percent in the second quarter, 15 to 20 percent in the next quarter and 2 to 8 percent in the fourth quarter. The cuts are primarily in pickups and SUVs, which have suffered from slower sales in recent months. Meanwhile, Ford will increase production of cars and crossovers (SUV-like vehicles that derive from a car rather than a truck platform) through additional shifts and overtime.

According to Autodata Inc., U.S. sales of SUVs dropped 29 percent in April, while sales of subcompact cars soared 33 percent.