Ford CEO says Trump threats won’t change small car plans
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is going ahead with plans to move small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico despite President-elect Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on companies that move work abroad.
CEO Mark Fields said Ford’s plan to move production of the Ford Focus from Michigan to Mexico will proceed, in part because U.S. consumers demand low prices for small cars. The Focus starts at $16,775, which is less than half the average price that U.S. consumers pay for new vehicles.
“It always has to start with the customer. The customer demands a certain level of price and value in that segment, and it’s important for us as a company to have financial success with that product,” Fields told The Associated Press in an interview Friday.
But Fields stressed that no U.S. jobs will be lost, since the Michigan plant that makes the Focus will be getting two new products.