Ford has scrapped plans to build its Focus compact in Mexico and will instead import it from China as the U.S. plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The move will save Ford $500 million. The automaker started building the Focus in Michigan in the early 2000s and last year announced it would move production to Mexico in 2018. It will start making the cars in China in mid-2019 in order to save capital and "reinvest in the business elsewhere," said Ford's global operations president Joe Hinrichs.
The number of Ford Focus' imported from China into the U.S. will be the highest shipment of vehicles from Chinese factories to American dealerships.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the decision by Ford, "shows how flexible multinational companies are in terms of geography. I believe that as President Trump's policies and reforms take hold, more companies will begin to locate their facilities in the U.S. as several German and Japanese automakers already have."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.