Ford Motor Co. dismissed Donald Trump’s claim Thursday that it will fire all of its employees in the United States, and vowed to remain in the US “forever”. He told investors of the move to shift the production of the Ford Focus to Mexico on Tuesday. And you know what’s going to happen? The last small cars it produces in the US are made at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, but will end production there in 2018.
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“It’s really unfortunate when politics get in the way of the facts, and the facts are Ford’s investment in the US and commitment to American jobs has never been stronger”, Mark Fields said in an interview with CNN.
Fields told Harlow that Ford has created more than 28,000 jobs and has invested more than $12 billion in the United States – but that the company must remain competitive globally.
Asked if any jobs would be lost in the move of small vehicle production to Mexico, Fields said, “Absolutely not”.
Fields decision to appear on CNN came after Trump appeared earlier today on Fox News and said if elected he will impose a 35% tax on automotive imports from Mexico.
Ford will build a plant in Mexico.
The spat between Trump and Ford dates back to June, 2015, when Ford first announced that it would stop producing the Ford Focus and Ford C-Max at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne in 2018 so it could move those vehicles to a lower cost country. Conversely, some will drag Ford over the coals, insisting that Ford is exporting good, decent-paying jobs that belong here in the company’s home country.
But why should we in the United States necessarily care?
Since 2011, Ford has invested $12 billion in USA plants and created 28,000 U.S.jobs. Ford said at the time that the new plant is for small auto production but refused to confirm that the Focus and C-Max would would be the vehicles made there.
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Fields declined to say what a president could do to keep Ford from shifting jobs to Mexico, but said that “clearly looking at the tax code, simplifying that [and] regulatory certainty is always very beneficial”. Ford still produces plenty of its North American vehicles here, and in the most recent round of contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers union, the automaker committed to investing another $9 billion in U.S. facilities, and creating or retaining as many as 8,500 domestic jobs. “We will continue to do that no matter who is in the White House”.
