NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Ford Motor Co. said Monday it plans to close 14 manufacturing plants in North America and cut between 25,000 to 30,000 jobs by 2012 as it tries to stem losses and adjust to its new, significantly lower market share.

The nation's No. 2 automaker said that it will close a total of seven North American assembly plants. Three U.S. assembly plants identified for closing in the next three years are in St. Louis, Wixom, Mich., and Atlanta. Two other assembly plants yet to be determined will also be closed by 2008,

The St. Louis plant, with about 1,500 employees, makes the Ford Explorer and its Mercury twin, the Mountaineer.

Ford promised that the company would make 250,000 fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid vehicles annually by the end of the decade. Mark Fields, the president of Ford's operations in the Americas, said Ford would make a new push to try to capture the small car segment, in which it had trouble making money in the past.

The other two plants identified for closing are the Wixom plant, which has about 1,600 employees and makes the Lincoln LS and Lincoln Town Car, as well as the Ford GT, and the Atlanta plant, with about 2,000 employees, that makes the Taurus.

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