Ford Motor Company Cancels $1.6 Billion Mexico Plant - Press Conference

I'm from the Hometown of Henry Ford, and actually play in a senior hockey league with Bill Ford. The Ford family is a pretty humble bunch, even though they are billionare's, and powerful it doesn't cloud their interactions with the average Joe. We eat, have beers, and hang-out like everyone else.

I posted a while back how Donald Trump came to Detroit around a year ago, and hosted a private meeting with all the top CEO's, and businessmen. Trump told them that if he becomes president, that he'll make things extremely difficult for the big guys, if they outsource jobs. I guess when he made this statement there was absolute silence in the room, because they knew he was serious.

It appears instead of fighting Trump they are starting to preemptively follow his business plan for the USA.

www.freep.com...

Ford announced today plans to cancel a 1.6B plant in Mexico to invest $700M in Metro Detroit's Flat Rock Assembly plant. Read the updated story here.

"We are today announcing that we are investing $700 M to transform Flat Rock into a new manufacturing & innovation center," Ford CEO Mark Fields said at a press conference held this morning at the plant.

Ford Cancels 1.6 Billion dollar Mexico Plant- Full Story

If they want that "Tough American Truck" image,, they can By God actually make them here and give the jobs to Americans. I think Ford saw the hammer coming and made a smart business move. After this election, Americans are looking ever closer at who is moving out and taking the jobs with them. IF Trump had anything to do with this and it looks like his heavy import tax for companies that move out may have had some influence, I say Go Trump.
Get Our Jobs Back.

So, since Trump will be in the driver's seat, can we assume that this will not be part of a government relocation plan to turn Detroit into a little mecca? I mean if this was happening under President Obama's direction, half of ATA might come forward with conspiracies some being that they are creating jobs and homes for middle-eastern refuges, blah, blah, blah.... I lived in Grand Ledge, MI for a little over a year about 6 years ago and I could certainly see the influx in the outlying areas of Detroit which is about an hour away.

This is great news for the US manufacturing as Ford is iconic enough that others may follow suit but I wonder what plans are in the works to rejuvenate the Detroit community as it looks pretty run down and the only people that seem to be living there are the ones who, supposedly, do not like America. This could mean corporate suicide if the people they end up employing do not care for the product or country.... Other than that, kudos to Ford for taking the initiative.

a reply to: evc1shop

If there are good jobs, good people will come back to those areas, or take a long commute to work at the very least.

a reply to: DAVID64


Ford also announced, in the next 5-10 years that it's investing in a campus to rival Google, and anything in Silicon Valley. It's supposed to be an amazing energy/green campus.

The articles say around a billion, but I here with everything going on and the upgrades to their test track, and testing facilities, and more in Dearborn the number is around $5 billion plus.

www.detroitnews.com...

Ford on Tuesday made public plans to drastically redevelop its outdated properties into a walkable, aesthetically pleasing work environment reminiscent of a college campus or Silicon Valley startup. Over the next decade, the automaker plans to relocate 30,000 employees currently spread throughout 70 Dearborn buildings into two main campuses — a product campus across the street from Oakwood Boulevard and The Henry Ford Museum, and a World Headquarters campus near the Glass House off Michigan Avenue.

What's also interesting is that Ford is buying up buildings and knocking them down, at a fast rate in our downtown area.

originally posted by: evc1shop
So, since Trump will be in the driver's seat, can we assume that this will not be part of a government relocation plan to turn Detroit into a little mecca? I mean if this was happening under President Obama's direction, half of ATA might come forward with conspiracies some being that they are creating jobs and homes for middle-eastern refuges, blah, blah, blah.... I lived in Grand Ledge, MI for a little over a year about 6 years ago and I could certainly see the influx in the outlying areas of Detroit which is about an hour away.

This is great news for the US manufacturing as Ford is iconic enough that others may follow suit but I wonder what plans are in the works to rejuvenate the Detroit community as it looks pretty run down and the only people that seem to be living there are the ones who, supposedly, do not like America. This could mean corporate suicide if the people they end up employing do not care for the product or country.... Other than that, kudos to Ford for taking the initiative.

Have you been to Detroit lately?

People are flooding into the downtown and mid-town areas from all of the USA. A condo that went for 60k in Mid-town is now untouchable for less than $275k, some in the $750k range in less than 3 years.

Old housing and commercial buildings are getting bull-dosed and the property that remains is creeping up in value. Property that couldn't be given away within a 1 square mile radius of downtown, is almost untouchable for the average person now price wise. Average houses that went for back taxes are now in the $250k range and rising fast.

Most of this was due to Dan Gilbert and the Illiches mainly

a reply to: Realtruth

Wow, all this and Trump isn't even the President yet. Imagine what's to come after Inauguration Day. We're riding a high in consumer confidence and I hope it sticks around for a little while. It's been a depressing eight years.

a reply to: Realtruth

Here is the way I see as a person outside the US (UK), a strong AND STABLE North American (USA) economy
is essential for the world economy, it is all well and good for some economist who sit's in his office all day and is out of touch with the common people to say that Asia is the next big thing but the crap that come's from such an economist pen or rather mouth just a trend, a fashion if you like and it is actually harmful for our economy's if our business people listen to that crap.

It look's very much to me as if Trump is doing exactly what he promised you even before he is fully in office, he is keeping your Job's were they belong and under his presidency you may very well see such thing's as Detroit which you mention rising from the Ashes and not only that but becoming a truly desirable place to live, stable job's, stable local economy's and all that brings.

No more idiot's shifting Job's to China and other Asian country's, no more taking our Technology and giving there dictatorship a boost, Get our research back were it belong's and our production with it and you watch they WILL fall right behind so long as Trumps BUSINESS model is followed in the rest of the Developed world.

I"m glad businesses feel a bit better about their prospects in American these days, that's a positive.

But it does make me wonder if they weren't just more afraid of what Trump would impose on them if they did continue, to breakdown their American operations in favour of Mexico or wherever else.

They did say they didn't strike any deal with him, they did it 'for the business'. The only reason you're gonna want to spend MORE money than outsourcing is you're afraid of what will happen once the laws change out of your favour.

And with Trump's promise to renegotiate NAFTA, it's very likely American businesses will now have the advantage after decades of taking losses.

~Tenth

originally posted by: Ameilia
a reply to: Realtruth

Wow, all this and Trump isn't even the President yet. Imagine what's to come after Inauguration Day. We're riding a high in consumer confidence and I hope it sticks around for a little while. It's been a depressing eight years.

The only thing Trump help push here was Ford building another plant outside the USA, everything else was a collaborated effort.

One person can't do it all, but they can help to steer everyone in a better direction.

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
And with Trump's promise to renegotiate NAFTA, it's very likely American businesses will now have the advantage after decades of taking losses.

I just caught on the news that several Democrats are saying they would like to renegotiate NAFTA.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
And with Trump's promise to renegotiate NAFTA, it's very likely American businesses will now have the advantage after decades of taking losses.

I just caught on the news that several Democrats are saying they would like to renegotiate NAFTA.

Any sane politician wants out of NAFTA, they were just to afraid too upset the globalists who feed them party donations every cycle.

Now that you have a POTUS openly saying, yeah, screw you guys, I'm redoing all our trade agreements, the real positions will start to come out.

There is very little proof that NAFTA is a good idea in the 21st century economy.

~Tenth

originally posted by: tothetenthpower

And with Trump's promise to renegotiate NAFTA, it's very likely American businesses will now have the advantage after decades of taking losses.

~Tenth

Tenth NAFTA gutted us here in Detroit, it was unreal and I saw it first hand.

I'm not going to get into the negatives, but many many people and our way of life in Detroit was affect, but the positive is that we got a chance to catch our breath, and head down a more green path.

Ford has always been the innovator in big industrial production, and it appears they are about to do it again.

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
Any sane politician wants out of NAFTA, they were just to afraid too upset the globalists who feed them party donations every cycle.

Now that you have a POTUS openly saying, yeah, screw you guys, I'm redoing all our trade agreements, the real positions will start to come out.

I have a strong feeling we will see a drive to either scrap or unilaterally renegotiate all our deals. When I caught that on the news the only thing I could think of was the ones that were calling for this action have quickly learned the lessons of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania from the last election.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

You hear people say all the time how NAFTA made the middle class bigger in Mexico and the like. Which is true, but it did so at the expense of the American middle class.

NAFTA essentially redistributed the wealth from the American middle class to the Mexican middle class.

Also, it should be mentioned. When it comes to trade tariff's the ones levied shouldn't make Chinese, and other countries exports more expensive. The tariff's imposed should make the competing countries products equal in price.

a reply to: gpols

Also, it should be mentioned. When it comes to trade tariff's the ones levied shouldn't make Chinese, and other countries exports more expensive. The tariff's imposed should make the competing countries products equal in price.

That will just depend on how the manufacturer or retailer decides to price the items, in light of that tariff. They could easily bump the retail price of things 20% to cover the cost, even make a little more profit than they used to and then blame American Trade deals for it.

And I agree completely, bad trade deals are what slowed middle class growth in the USA as well as gave an excuse to bust up unions since their memberships were in steady decline due to outsourcing.

~Tenth

If you are familiar with Detroit and the people who live in that area, they are literally crying with joy over this good news..and what it portends for the future of that great metro area. Ford is just of first of many companies that will stay AND relocate to Detroit, after President Donald Trump's incentives are put in place.

Most of us still have no idea how great Donald Trump will be for America. He and his advisors know the American Monopoly board game rules to a tee.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

True, that's why it needs to be based on how much it costs the company to manufacture. That way it still leaves room for profit and China and the other countries can only blame the companies and not the trade deals.

After having free trade run wild for so long, kicking off a trade war is a real possibility. Especially with Trump openly threatening to charge import fees on companies like Ford that are owned by multi-national conglomerates.

If he doesn't watch it he could set off a really nasty chain of events.

originally posted by: carewemust
...after President Donald Trump's incentives are put in place.

What incentives are you referring to?

a reply to: Realtruth

I should have mentioned 1st, Im in Dearborn and work for the City now...and retired from Ford Livonia. Another link c/o Twitter...more announced after Oct 5th meeting between Ford and Trump.

MS
Dearborn, Mi

" Donald J. Trump
✔ ‎@realDonaldTrump

Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky - no Mexico

9:01 PM - 17 Nov 2016 Donald J. Trump ✔ ‎@realDonaldTrump Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky - no Mexico 9:01 PM - 17 Nov 2016"