Science & Tech

Ford Motors Moves Production Of Smaller Cars To Mexico — Conflict With Donald Trump’s Wall May Be Inevitable

Published on: September 15, 2016 at 12:23 PM
By Patrick Frye

Ford Motors is planning to do something that the Republican nominee for President of the United States isn’t going to like. In combination with the recent test driving of Uber’s self-driving cars, it seems anyone not driving an SUV or larger is allegedly going to be putting money south of the border.

The plan is to move the production of all smaller cars, such as the Focus and C-Max, to Mexico to reduce costs. The move is expected to happen over the next two years, but isn’t the first time Ford has sent production outside the United States. The Ford Fiesta, as its name suggests, is already being produced in Mexico, while the performance-based Focus RS is being made in Germany.

Germany is where many high-performance vehicles are manufactured, including the Mercedes line and Volkswagen . It also shares a land mass with Sweden, where the infamous Koenigsegg is produced.

Originally known as an auto manufacturer of American muscle, Ford Motors has already begun changing its image. Named after its founder Henry Ford, the company had become the first to mass produce a car and also shared a name with Gerald Ford, the first U.S. President to default into office after the resignation of Nixon.

Technically, even if Ford Motors moved its production to Chile, it would still be an American company. It’s still South America.

Donald Trump doesn’t like the idea of a formerly U.S. company moving to Mexico , says CNBC , and says he will vow to pressure them back into the United States. This is probably due to his plan to build a wall separating the continents and keeping illegal immigrants from crossing over.

“We shouldn’t allow it to happen. They’ll make their cars, they’ll employ thousands and thousands of people not from this country, and they’ll sell the cars right through a very weak border … And we’ll have nothing but more unemployment in Flint and in Michigan. It’s horrible.”

According to CNN , Ford says that the opening of a new plant in Mexico won’t cause any job losses in the United States.

There could easily be import fees when Ford moves production south of the border, as Trump’s wall could force them to send cars over by ship from Cuba to Florida. Ford Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields feels that the company could save a lot of money by moving production of smaller cars to Mexico, following the trend of items sold in the U.S. and made south of the border.

SUVs will allegedly still be made on homeland soil, as they are among the better-selling vehicles due to their spacious interior and off-road abilities. They are ideal for the family with three children doing their shopping for the month.

A major issue which might get even further on Donald Trump’s nerves is the fact that Uber’s self-driving cars are the Ford Focus, and if they go mainstream, that could be a lot of money going to Ford Motors in Mexico for taxi services. This may be part of what Fields is thinking about since taxis generally don’t make as much money as outright sales.

Also in 2018, Fields plans to replace the Wayne, Michigan, production of the Focus and C-Max with the Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup, all-new models. Why Ford Motors feels the need to make new models of those particular types is unknown. They already have the Explorer, Mountaineer, Expedition, and the ever-popular F-150, F-250, and F-350. There are plenty of SUVs and pickups on the market from Ford already.

It seems Ford Motors will be the next major name to oppose Donald Trump’s wall plans if he is elected.

[Featured Image via Darren Brode / Shutterstock.com]

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