Trucks Trump Cars in 2016; How Will President Trump Affect Industry in 2017?

American consumers bought a record number of cars and trucks in 2015, and as 2016 nears its end, the industry could break that record. But some analysts believe sales have peaked, and could decline in the new year. Paul Eisenstein publishes The Detroit Bureau. He tells WDET’s Pat Batcheller one of this year’s biggest automotive stories was the resurgence of light trucks, which include sport-utility vehicles, pickups, minivans, and crossovers. Eisenstein also says the top story in 2017 will likely be the relationship between automakers and Donald Trump when he becomes president. Before the election, Trump criticized Ford Motor Company for planning to move small car production to Mexico and threatened to impose tariffs on vehicles made their and sold in the U.S. Later, the president-elect said he worked with Ford Chairman Bill Ford to save jobs at a factory in Kentucky, even though the company said it had no plans to close the plant or cut jobs there. In December, Trump chose General Motors CEO Mary Barra to join his team of economic policy advisers. Click on the audio player to hear the conversation.