Ford Chair Says Trump Not Coercing Company
Ford Chair Bill Ford Jr. calls axing Mexico plant business decision, not bow to Trump, who tweeted thanks for the move.
Officials with the Ford Motor Company say they will build several new, high-profile vehicles in the U.S.
But the head of Ford says the move is not driven by criticism from President-elect Donald Trump.
The Dearborn-based automaker announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that it will begin producing its new Ford Rangers and Ford Broncos in Michigan by the year 2020.
The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s news that Ford would cancel plans to build a new plant in Mexico.
That’s a facility Trump repeatedly threatened to penalize Ford for by adding huge tariffs onto any products from there sold in the U.S.
But Ford’s executive chairman, Bill Ford Jr., says he does not feel like Trump is, in effect, shoving the automaker around.
“Not at all. I mean look, we made our own decision, we have to make our own decisions, we have to do what’s right for our shareholders, and we will. But he’s obviously very interested in jobs in America and that’s great. And so I’m happy to have the relationship I do with him.”
Ford’s announcement comes shortly after officials with Fiat Chrysler said they plan to invest $1 billion to build Jeeps in Michigan and Ohio.
The President-elect tweeted thanks to both Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
But General Motors CEO Mary Barra, an economic advisor to Trump, says that automaker still plans to produce the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback in Mexico, despite the President-elect’s threat that the company will face a big border tax.
