There appears to be no end in sight for the ongoing UAW strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Now in its third week, the strike has attracted nationwide attention, especially now that workers across the country are now participating in it, as the UAW opted to expand actions against GM and Stellantis last week. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden visited a UAW picket line in Michigan and explicitly supported the worker’s actions. Last night, former president Donald Trump offered remarks at a non-union automotive supplier in Clinton Township, Michigan. The GOP frontrunner had a lot to say about electric cars, claiming they will harm the United States auto industry, per Automotive News.
Speaking at Drake Enterprises, Donald Trump claimed that Ford and GM EVs would “spell the death of the U.S. auto industry,” and that both companies are “either stupid or they’re gutless” for endorsing federal emissions standards that encourage a broad pivot to battery electric vehicles. “They want to allow your gas-powered Suburbans, Silverados and Ford F-150s to die,” Trump said. “Under a Trump administration, gasoline engines will be allowed.” Currently, there is no federal ban on internal combustion engines, although Ford, GM, and Stellantis did support a non-binding executive order calling for 50 percent of automobiles sold in the United States to be battery powered.
Although the former president was ostensibly in Michigan to offer remarks on the ongoing UAW strike, he didn’t address the specific issues that prompted the union to organize against, like two tier wages and cost-of-living adjustments, among other areas of concern. “In other words, your current negotiations don’t mean as much as you think. I mean, I watch you out there with the pickets, but I don’t think you’re picketing for the right thing,” said Trump. The comments were related to his assertion that fully electric vehicle production would result in job losses in the United States.
Ford currently has two facilities in the United States capable of producing electric vehicles. The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan is responsible for the Ford F-150 Lightning, while Kansas City Assembly plant produces the Ford E-Transit, Ford Transit, and Ford F-150. Ford underestimated demand for the fully electric van and is making plans to increase output at the facility.
The Blue Oval’s pivot to fully electric vehicles is underway, although it recently indicated it intends to push back some previous production run rate goals. Additionally, the automaker revealed it had paused construction on Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, although no reason was given for the change. Aside from fully electric vehicles, the company wants to sell more hybrid vehicles in the United States and plans to quadruple hybrid sales within the next five years.
We’ll be following the ongoing strike closely, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more 2023 Ford-UAW news, UAW news, and for ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Trump misses the whole point once again!!
Exactly
Trump also misses the whole point, when he claimed he would visit the UAW strikers, but when he found out Biden was going to visit them he changed his mind and acted like the mind of a two year old and said he’ll go visit the non-union workers! He’s a real ditz! That’s the same way he acted while in Office!
Yes, let consumers decide what type of power they want for their vehicles. The grid isn’t ready and these current versions don’t have ample range in comparison to gasoline engine powered vehicles. As for the onion(sic) in regards to the auto builders, it’s a spaghetti plate mess with enough blame to go around.
Even less range when you tow or the temp drops.
Trump is right. The car companies are going to lose billions of $$. Ford already has and they will want more and more government subsidies to survive. Subsidies = mine and your tax dollars supporting public traded companies.
Tough. Every automaker, in the Western World, operates in a way that means common vehicle platforms for about 80% of all light vehicles made. With both China (who is now the single largest new car market in the world) and Western Europe, both demanding a move to EV’s, the United States no longer drives the decisions on new vehicle development. One of my sibling and their spouse are Big Three/Detroit Three product development engineers, and they’re two of the people who told me this. One of my extended family is a Big Three/Detroit Three assembly plant manager/director. That’s the third source of that information. And I am an auto supplier engineering products sales rep, of 40+ years, and my Big Three/Detroit Three engineering contacts are my fourth source of that info. It’s either go along woth the EV push, or watch product development cost, to stick with ICE vehicles and not spread the cost around world wide sales, go up by at least 40%, and subsequently see a huge increase in new vehicle prices. Everybody has to deal with this new reality.
Good luck to them, it’s short sighted. China is on the verge of the largest demographic collapse in known human history, along with the economic collapse that must inevitably follow such a thing. Not to mention that it’s a real possibility that China just seizes foreign assets at some point, anyway. Western Europe’s combined population is still less than the US.
All this is great if the customers go along. If not, the Big 3 will lose their asses. The US is still a large market and dictating to customers what they WILL drive failed before and will again
Auto manufacturers are exceedingly good at marketing things people have no interest in. They made it through the ’70s and into the ’80s basically making garbage and people bought their products during the malaise era. Trucks are another example of auto manufacturers dictating tastes. They’ve convinced Americans that an ill-handling fuel guzzling full size living room on wheels is the safest most efficient way to go pick up a coffee from Starbucks so EVs will be no different.
Try towing a heavy trailer with one of those BEV crossovers.
I’m sorry I could read what you wrote. I’m too busy power washing the image of your profile pic out of my eyes.
Yes!
Why does big oil still get hundreds of billions a year of tax dollars when there racking in record profits and ripping everyone off while knowing their product is deadly?
Works for me. Can’t walk or ride stupid bikes on the interstate. BEV’s are a joke in their range. Your onion(sic) buddies want to cut their own throats with their childish action.
It’s Rouge, not Rogue. Correction needed.
Fixed! Thank you.
He is correct on the whole ev situation
Hes wrong about everything in his entire life. If he would have left the hundreds of millions her inherited and stole he would be richer but everything he touches dies.
I have many concerns with EV’s… Cost, Range, Charging, Electrical Grid, Battery Disposal, Govt Subsidies, Individual Autonomy, etc. But killing jobs is not one of them. Some unskilled labor jobs might be in jeopardy but I think the need for trained labor will probably end up about the same.
Ford has already said there are much fewer parts in electric cars and much less labor is needed to put them together vs. ICE cars. Translation: Jobs WILL be lost!
How many unemployed oil pipeline workers are making solar panels. I’ll give you a minute.
I was talking about the workers on strike! I thought he would have gone to support them.. Not show up to a non-union shop!! Those workers deserve better treatment!! Share the wealth Big Three!! You guys already charge a arm and a leg for these new vehicles!! Who can afford an average monthly payment of $1000.00 or more on a new truck?? I bet the guy making it can’t!!
Your favorite and current POTUS is in large part to blame for vehicle prices being what they are. Under his watch, the supply lines are still a mess therefore prices rise. Aside from that, your talking point about the ability of a for example a FORD employee to afford and F150 is a mute point. As long as FORD is selling them, who cares who buys them?
Once a Tool always a Tool!!………Trump knows best lol!!
All I can say is consider the source…that kind of says it all…
You can tell Trump, with a few minutes of planning, I can make it to Biden’s second inauguration driving my EV.
Too bad Biden won’t
While your sitting in line waiting for a charge while ICE owners whiz past you on the way to Trump’s second inauguration
Gee you mean that beast limousine isn’t a BEV?
Your Ev will be on fire first, so you won’t get there for Pres Trump.
Three fire apparatus builders are also pushing all electric apparatus now. The dirty downplayed secret is that they have a small diesel engine for backup but I digress. The fire truck may burn up itself before it gets there
Well based on the current financials he’s right. How much longer can Ford afford to lose 60k an EV?
Not much longer when the big $ ICE trucks that were offsetting those losses are sitting on lots due to tanked demand from high prices and interest rates.
Some day all ev car & trucks will be sitting in the junk cant affard the batterys my fi50 will go 700 miles before I have to get gas try that in a ev car it only takes 5min to fill up F150
Duel tanks, I take it!
Based on how well they are rolling out the Blue Cruise updates I would say that’s true. You can’t have a high tech car if you can’t update the software in a timely manner.
Trump is always ahead of everyone else ! Electric vehicles are dead on arrival ! DOA !
I’m certain the automakers WANT to go electric because…like Tesla, it means lower costs longterm and a substantial leap in performance and autonomous technology. Not to mention foreign competition outpacing the US on EV development and implementation which further imperils the US automakers. But it’s hard to make the business viable without infrastructure investments like their competition is getting abroad. So it’s one thing to just leave things up to the free market to decide, but you have to be pretty naive to believe that’s how this works.
Trump on office:
$2 a gallon gas
Low inflation
Secure boarders
Biden on office:
$6 gallon gas
Highest inflation in 40 years
Open boarders
PLUS
Ever increasing violent crimes
Major cities turned into cesspool
I think I’ll take Trump’s record.
Your right on everything except the spelling of borders.
Fat fingers!
“your” which you mean you are is spelled “you’re.”
Yep. Me to.
Never thought I’d see the day when Americans would defend a corrupt, Putin loving, lying every which way to sunday , tried to commit a Coup against our democracy. Is this what you all want? To live in an autocratic country. Well Not Me!
Stop bitc*in and leave already!
Then move to Iran or North Korea and let us know how it’s going for you?
The government should give for all home owners with incoming below $275,000 combined – home value under $750,000, with loan for solar panels and other like alt energies. Stay as primary resident and not payable after 15 yrs in home. Sell early, pay off loan. Now that the infrastructure is built, then EV make total sense. Until then, I drive my Fusion Engeri. I was waiting for the new version with batteries under the floor instead of using truck room. EV put the cart before the horse. EV/Hybrid, let everyone doubling their MPG. Not bad. Infrastructure creates jobs – lots of jobs, from making USA panels to installation. Nice cure for the economy for the next 20 years – paradigm shift for the future; needed cure for our kid’s environment. Who pays? We all pay for the benefit – it’s called Taxes. Remember when taxes wasn’t s dirty word?
PS I made more money under Biden then under Trump. I work strictly by commission only and pay $400 per week for Blue Cross Blue Shield. But, Inflation would have happened no matter the Dems or the Rep. After all, didn’t you take the weekly check? It’s pay back. But, it’s inflation not RECESSION! Stop blaming and complaining. The Rank and File voted the two tier pay system – sold out their future members for their own pockets back in 2008. Yes, bankrupt miss managed GM and loser, the twice divorced bride , Stellantis took the UAW concessions – now time to pay back. But, really get paid for 40 hrs work 32! Average pay for a high school grad you didn’t go into a trade really doesn’t deserve much more than a pension, cheap benefits and $60K a yr before overtime. Assembly line is a job not a Career.
Ford needs a new CEO. Someone who won’t ignore the customers.
I don’t care about the political noise. I will never purchase an EV. I enjoy driving my ICE SUV and truck. I will continue to purchase ICE vehicles. I am already looking forward to finding my next ICE vehicle. Within 2 years I will be purchasing another new vehicle. I just hope the supply chain issues get resolved. The last few vehicles I purchased, I could not get equipped the way I wanted them. Holding out hope that consumer choice rules the day.
Those of you living in the past and praising trump are out of touch with reality. The automobile industry is moving to battery electric vehicles whether the government supports it or not. Two years from now when a BEV is cheaper to purchase and cheaper to maintain, it will be the choice of most new car shoppers. By 2030 no healthy automobile corporation will still be building ICE vehicles. They won’t be able to sell them without $5K or $10K rebates. No one will want them. By 2030 BEV will just be the norm. No one will be debating it or complaining, they will just be enjoying the advancements of the second and third generation vehicles. Cheaper to buy, 500 miles of range, ten minute public charging, and virtually maintenance free. There will be nothing for you to complain about, really! And the advancements in battery technology will continue well into the 2030’s. Today it cost about one third as much to charge a BEV at home than it cost to gas up your vehicle at a gas station. In the not too distant future electricity from your utility company will cost almost half what it costs today due to the low cost solar, wind, and storage replacing the expensive coal fired power plants, and even the natural gas fired plants. Enjoy the future, stop hating it! You are going to love it.
Sugar or Sweet n’ Low with that Kool Aid?