Verve Concept
Posted on 05/30/2008 12:06:36 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
Ford Motor Co. announced it will build its new global car, the Fiesta, in Mexico for sale in North America as part of a $3 billion investment in the country.
It will be Mexico's largest-ever auto investment, with President Felipe Calderon saying the only greater amounts of private investment were banking acquisitions.
Some 4,500 Ford jobs are expected to be created and result in some 25,000 new direct and indirect jobs at suppliers. "The auto industry has become consolidated as one of the pillars of our economy," Mr. Calderon said. "It's one of the principal sources of exports, of foreign investment and, as a result, of jobs in the manufacturing sector."
Ford has two assembly plants in Mexico, and the hatchback will be built at the Cuautitlan facility near Mexico City starting in early 2010. The plant currently builds F-Series pickup trucks, U.S. sales of which have been weakening as gasoline prices continue their march higher.
The facility's engine plant will also begin building diesel engines for light- and medium-duty trucks. In addition, Ford announced that through a joint venture it will establish a transmission plant in Guanajuato to support various Ford vehicles.
"Ford is absolutely committed to leveraging our global assets to accelerate the shift to more fuel-efficient small cars and powertrain technologies that people really want and value," said Ford President and Chief Executive Alan Mulally. "Our investments in these facilities in Mexico are part of our plan to further realign our manufacturing capacity in line with the introduction of more small cars and crossovers."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Verve Concept
Unionized Mexican wages are lower than unionized American wages.
The UAW is working itself out of a job.
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of a$$holes.
Siestas in Fiestas?
I wish that American companies that do go overseas would build their plants in Mexico. This could drain China and be a lure for illegal Mexicans to stay in their own country.
Id rather have it made in Mexico than China. And it helps bring jobs and opportunity to Mexicans instead of having them moving across the border.
What company makes the Piniata ?
Ask VW about that
All unions should be outlawed. They are destroying American competitiveness.
Nothing new here—my 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 had its final assembly done somewhere around Mexico City. And, it’s held up great for 162,000 miles and thirteen years.
The irony is, my previous car, a “Japanese” 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX AWD Turbo, was assembled...in the Diamond-Star Motors plant in Normal, Illinois. So my Japanese car was built in America, and my American truck was built in Mexico.
}:-)4
Obviously the Nissan from a standpoint of a quality car that one would actually want to drive.
I am asking purely on the "buy American" aspect.
Nah, they will just try to be the bargaining agent for the Mexican auto workers.
Both of our Hondas were made in Ohio using mostly US made parts. I had zero qualms about buying them.
How soon before the Mexicans build a fence to keep us out of their workforce?? Seems like an awful lot of jobs going south of the border while their population keeps headed here for the freebies...and the “jobs we won’t do”.
I’ll bet this move by Ford is the result of lower taxes, better union contracts, less government meddling, more government support for infrastructure and cheaper power and a less adversairial relationship with government. In addition, worker fringe benefits are probably not government mandated and cost prohibitive. I wonder how many illegal American workers will be “allowed” to work there by the Mexican government?
One of 3 worldwide manufacturing facilities for the same (pretty much) design if my memory is correct. Global platforms and other related engineering cost saving activities have been discussed widely in the auto press. This vehicle may embody many of their efforts.
High hopes for this car from the Ford folks I talk too.
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