Ford to move all small-car manufacturing to Mexico

Ford Motor CEO Mark Fields announced Wednesday that over the next two to three years, all of the company's small-car production will be moved out of the United States to a plant in Mexico, Reuters reports. The company cited Mexico's lower costs as the driving force behind the business decision.

The $1.6 billion Ford assembly plant in Mexico has long been a target of Donald Trump's attacks, with him calling it an "absolute disgrace" last April.

"Our dishonest politicians and the special interests that control them are laughing in the face of all American citizens. These ridiculous, job-crushing transactions will not happen when I am president," Trump said. He additionally suggested a 35 percent import tariff on any Mexican-built cars Ford sells in the U.S.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"I don't think Ford Motor Co. makes their announcements according to a political calendar," Kristin Dziczek, the director of the Industry and Labor Group for the Center of Automotive Research, told The Detroit News. "All of the automakers are growing their presence in Mexico. It's not just cheap labor, it's trade access to the rest of the world."