They’ve only Donald done it: Ford bins $1.6bn Mexican factory in favour of smaller US investment
Ford has binned plans to build a $1.6bn (£1.3bn) car plant in Mexico, choosing a $700m investment in Michigan instead.
Chief exec Mark Fields defended the u-turn, saying far from pandering to President-elect Donald Trump's protectionist desires the decision was a "vote of confidence" in the pro-business environment the entrepreneur is creating.
"We didn't cut a deal with Trump. We did it for our business," Fields told CNN.
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The money pumped into Michigan will go into Ford's Flat Rock plant and create 700 new jobs.
The factory will focus on electric and self-driving car production, two divisions Ford believes will be outselling petrol and diesel powered cars within the next decade and a half.
The automotive giant's planned investment in Mexico attracted repeated criticism from the Trump campaign in the run-up to the US presidential election. Trump said he would hike tariffs on any Ford vehicles made south of the border and sold back home.
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The news comes on the same day the President-elect slammed Ford's rival General Motors for similar plans – to make some of its Chevrolet Cruze models in Mexico.
General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017