CORRECTED: Trump Says He Kept Ford From Relocating Plant To Mexico
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 19, 2016 | 01:10 AM
Baker' sted as sent. Here is a corrected repetition: /// NEW YORK, Nov 18 (APP/AFP) : Ford confirmed Friday that it will keep production of one SUV model in Kentucky, rather than relocating as planned, a decision US President-elect Donald Trump claimed as a personal victory.
"Just hung up on the phone with my friend Bill Ford, the chairman of Ford's board, who let me know he was going to keep the Lincoln site in Kentucky - No Mexico," Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday night.
Trump's declaration was met with some derision since Ford had not publicly announced plans to move the Lincoln MKC production. And just this week Ford confirmed it will proceed with plans to move production of the Focus to Mexico from Michigan, a state Trump narrowly won in last week's election.
But under the last year's contract agreement with the powerful United automobile Workers union, Ford had made plans to move the smaller Lincoln MKC production line to make room for the Escape. Ford's Louisville plant produces the Lincoln MKC as well as the Ford Escape, both small SUVs.
"Cuautilan plant in Mexico was likely the plant for MKC," Ford spokeswoman Christin Baker, told AFP in an email Friday. Ford already produces the Lincoln MKZ sedan on the Hermosillo site, and in early April announced a $1.6 billion investment in a new site in Mexico.
But, the company said in a statement, "Today, we confirmed with the President-elect that our small Lincoln utility vehicle made at the Louisville Assembly Plant will stay in Kentucky.
" One of the main themes of Trump's campaign was to bring back manufacturing jobs that American companies had moved overseas in search of cheap labor.
Ford and the IT giant Apple were his favorite targets. Trump even threatened to impose a 35 percent punitive import duty on cars produced in Mexico, and to renegotiate the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
His rhetoric seems to have worked since several states where the car industry is strongly represented and that traditionally voted Democratic, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, voted for Trump, tipping the election.
Ford said of the decision, "We are encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve US competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States." But the company defended its record, saying it employs more American auto workers and produces more American-made vehicles than any other company, and has invested $12 billion US plants in the past five years and created nearly 28,000 US jobs.
"We continue to engage with President-elect Trump's team -- and the new Congress -- as they shape the policy agenda for 2017. We have shared our commitment to continue investing in the US and creating American jobs," Ford said.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From World
-
NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Cap helmets in games
33 minutes ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
33 minutes ago -
Football: Italian Serie A result
33 minutes ago -
Football: German Bundesliga results
33 minutes ago -
US troops to leave Chad in second African state withdrawal
33 minutes ago -
Plastics pollution may be solved without production cap: Canada minister
43 minutes ago
-
Biden stalls on menthol cigarette ban fearing Black vote backlash
53 minutes ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
53 minutes ago -
6,000 French police to welcome Olympic torch amid bonus boost
1 hour ago -
Taiwan hit by several quakes, strongest reaching 6.1-magnitude
2 hours ago -
'Ballistic' Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase
2 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 2nd update
2 hours ago