Jo Hinrich, president of global operations for Ford Motor Co has confirmed that the car's production will be moving to Chongqing in China.
"Consumers care a lot more about the quality and the value than they do about the sourcing location. iPhones are produced in China and people don't really talk about it," Hinrichs said.
Ford said last week that it will expand in Michigan and U.S. instead of building a BILLION dollar plant in Mexico. Thank you Ford & Fiat C!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 9 January 2017
However, experts have said it is not that simple. Apple Inc have always manufactured their product in China, but Ford has never before made any of its vehicles there for a US market.
Experts believe that this is a risk, as the vehicle's name has always been associated with a US market.
Such as Ford's plans to produce cars in China? Yeah, YOU told us YOU were winning when YOU made sure Ford plant didn't move to Mexico#SAD
— Sparky (@sparkman52) 21 June 2017
The news will no doubt come as a shock to President Trump, who congratulated Ford when the company said they would move manufacturing for their Ford Focus out of Mexico.
The MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN agenda is doing very well despite the distraction of the Witch Hunt. Many new jobs, high business enthusiasm,..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 18 June 2017
Trump said that China was a currency manipulator, also taking a swing at country's alleged unfair trade practices. The president's election campaign was all about putting "America first" and making the country "great again," however it appears for Ford, the US is second to China when it comes to making Ford Focuses.
What is Trump's stance on Ford letting produce cars in China and exporting them to the U.S.
— R D Richard (@ralphdave) 21 June 2017
*Remark by me as the author: He hates Mexico!
Wilbur Ross, US secretary of commerce, gave Ford the green light. Mr. Ross said that it showed "how flexible multinational companies are in terms of geography." He also added that the administration expected the flexibility to go both ways.
"I believe that as President Trump's policies and reforms take hold, more companies will begin to locate their facilities in the US as several German and Japanese automakers already have," Mr. Ross said in a recent statement.
However, Ford haven't completely abandoned the US, as they announced that they will be investing US$900 million in a Kentucky factory to build SUVs.
Ford expects to begin building the Focus in Chongqing in the second half of 2019.
