After imposing tariffs of 25 percent on imported automobiles in early April, U.S. President Donald Trump has engaged in a variety of talks with various countries in an effort to reach new trade deals and perhaps lower or eliminate those levies. Along with a temporary reduction of tariffs between the U.S. and China, Trump managed to strike a new deal with the United Kingdom recently, which some may see as good news, but that apparently isn’t the case – at least, among automakers including Ford, as well as its U.S.-based rivals.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford and its Detroit Big Three counterparts are worried that their foreign rivals will gain an upper hand if Trump decides to strike a deal with places like Europe and Asia next, rather than focusing on redoing the current United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Ford CEO Jim Farley previously stated that if Europe and Asia get deals while 25 percent levies remain on imports from Canada and Mexico, it would “blow a hole” in the industry and give “free rein to South Korean, Japanese and European companies that are bringing 1.5 million to 2 million vehicles into the U.S.” each year.
“The U.S. automotive industry is highly integrated with Canada and Mexico; the same is not true for the U.S. and UK,” said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, a lobby group that represents Ford, GM, and Stellantis. “We are disappointed that the administration prioritized the UK ahead of our North American partners. Under this deal, it will now be cheaper to import a UK vehicle with very little U.S. content than a USMCA compliant vehicle from Mexico or Canada that is half American parts. This hurts American automakers, suppliers, and auto workers. We hope this preferential access for UK vehicles over North American ones does not set a precedent for future negotiations with Asian and European competitors.”
“We need to address this challenge, which is equivalent to 20 assembly plants worth of lost work,” added Lana Payne, President of the Canadian automotive union Unifor. “Why this isn’t being discussed by the Trump administration is unclear. Targeting Canadian-made vehicles with higher tariffs than those with no North American ties is not just shortsighted – it’s an attack on our shared industry that sets a dangerous precedent and weakens the collective strength of North American autoworkers.”
Plus, the employee pricing program remains available nationwide.
Helping to ensure one can gain access to the vehicle.
That special benefit ended in mid-2022.
Perhaps the nicest one left.
The company promises that it's a huge improvement over the existing system.
The same engine already present in the Mustang and Explorer.
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As far as vehicles, yes, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Germany and South Korea top the list. But Trump also needs to stop listening to the Ford and GM whiners, which are causing him to obsess over vehicle tariffs, when the US consumes a LOT more of other things. But not from the UK...
The door was open for any country to meet with Trump. Some chose not to now they’re whining. No sympathy here