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Ford: We're Canceling $1.6 Billion Mexico Facility, Investing In Electric and US Plant (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the up-and-coming dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Today at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields unveiled a large-scale electric vehicle initiative that will run through the company's next five years. Ford plans to invest $4.5 billion in electric vehicle production by 2020, and the company said it will produce 13 new electric vehicles, including a Mustang, an F-150, police cars, and a Transit Custom van. Additionally, Fields revealed that Ford would be canceling a previously announced $1.6 billion-production facility in Mexico. Instead, the company wants to invest $700 million in the existing Flat Rock facility, generating 700 new jobs focused on EV and autonomous initiatives at that location, according to Ford. Ford described seven of the 13 upcoming EVs during its press conference today. The F-150 Hybrid will be available by 2020 in North America and the Middle East, and Fields noted it'll be powerful enough to stand-in for on-site generators in a pinch. The Mustang Hybrid will deliver "V8 power and even more low-end torque" according to Ford; it too is intended for a 2020 release. Generally, electric motors are well suited to applications where you want a lot of immediate torque, so their presence should work well in a light duty truck like the F-150. Among the other notable vehicles highlighted, Ford is planning a fully electric small SUV that can "deliver an estimated range of at least 300 miles" by 2020. The company also wants to produce an autonomous vehicle "designed for commercial ride hailing or ride sharing" in North America by 2021.

13 of 432 comments (clear)

  1. Yay by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Go Trumperor!!!!!

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    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:Yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why are Mexican jobs my responsibility? Where were you when people were losing their jobs in the US?

    2. Re:Yay by unixisc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Afraid of a tax-spanking, Ford plays into the hands of the President Elect - and they will be richly rewarded for their grandstanding.

      Meanwhile, a city in Mexico just lost $1.6B of direct investment and many hundreds of jobs. That's O.K., they'll have plenty of other opportunities;

      How did the Mexican city lose something that was yet to be built, or that was yet to hire anybody?

    3. Re:Yay by Minupla · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One would presume the same way the US can gain jobs that had yet to be lost?

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      On the whole, I find that I prefer Slashdot posts to twitter ones because I don't get limited to 140 chars before
    4. Re:Yay by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wonder why, in the spirit of your post, you haven't offshored your own job to a dozen workers in India, China, or the Ukraine? You're costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars and dozens of jobs...

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      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    5. Re:Yay by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A really big part of the good that will come out of a Trump presidency is that Congress will now clip the wings of the Executive Branch and widespread out-of-control Executive Orders will become a thing of the past.

  2. Good, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While this is ultimately an economic decision (small car sales are waaaay down and Ford doesn't need another factory), I can't imagine the threat of tariffs didn't factor into the decision to cancel the Mexican factory. Nevertheless, it's amazing how the online comments sections are taking a black vs.white/pro vs. anti-Trump side to a nuanced subject.

    Ultimately, this is good news for Michigan workers, whether or not we bring politics into the discussion.

    1. Re:Good, but... by bobbied · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The question of if Trump deserves the victory lap or not is really moot... What matters is how the voters/workers in Michigan and elsewhere perceive this move by Ford...If THEY think Trump is responsible, then that's all that matters. Give Trump his due, he's at least TRYING to market himself using these accomplishments.

      Besides, all the political posturing is not new... What IS new though is a Republican (even if in name only) is taking credit for something largely seen as a good thing for labor... After all, we've been beguiled with tall tales of Obama's accomplishments for 8 years where he's taken credit for things he wasn't responsible for (and a few things he actively took actions to oppose.)

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      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  3. Finally Ford see the future. by Higaran · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've alway been a fan of ford, but they have been dragging ass for a long time, only just barely innovating for the last few years. I'm glad they finally realize that they are going to need to really start pulling more into electric and hybrids. I think the biggest thing pushing them is actually emissions. From my understanding it's impossible for a big V8 to pass the new emissions regulations that will be even more stringent next few years.

  4. Re:Losing by ranton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do you hate America?

    I love my country, which is why I want it to stay competitive. Factory payrolls, construction contracts, and industrial production all increased after the Smoot-Hawley act as well, but the Great Depression was a grim reminder of what happens when countries try for short term gains through protectionist measures.

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    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  5. Re:Thanks to Trump? Obviously! by Aighearach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The really funny part is that the whole narrative doesn't add up; the claim is they were going to invest $1.6B in Mexico because everything is cheaper there, so instead now they're going to invest $700M in the US because... Trump. That math just doesn't work out. Obviously what actually happened is that the thing they were thinking about building for $1.6B simply isn't going to happen right now, and a totally unrelated thing that costs $700M is happening in the US. Maybe those are related, maybe not, but the narrative is clearly not true.

  6. Re:Thanks to Trump? Obviously! by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FALSE!
    The REAL reason Ford won't go to Mexico has nothing to do with Trump says Ford CEO

  7. Re:mod parent down, RTFA by retroworks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ford CEO certainly applauded Trump's pro-business posture. But the articles CLEARLY state that the Ford Focus and Escort jobs are going to Hermasillo (a different Mexico factory) and that the jobs in Michigan are for a completely unrelated electric vehicle which was NEVER going to be made in Mexico. Is Ford CEO smart to play it as a "thanks for lower regulations and taxes" move? Perhaps so. But the Michigan jobs (electric vehicles) were NEVER going to Mexico, and the cancelled Mexico plant operations are moving to Hermasillo in Sonora Mexico.

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