Known for his eccentric campaign and extreme ideas, US presidential candidate Donald Trump has focused his anger on Ford, after the automaker announced plans to open a new plant in Mexico.
“This transaction is an absolute disgrace. Our dishonest politicians and the special interests that control them are laughing in the face of all American citizens“, the Republican candidate said, according to Reuters. Donald Trump commented that deals like this one “will continue until we can renegotiate NAFTA to create a fair deal for American workers“.
The Blue Oval did not have an immediate response on Trump’s statement, which comes after the carmaker announced a $1.6 billion investment in a new plant, in Mexico’s San Luis Potosi State, to produce more small cars. Ford will create an additional 2,800 direct jobs, by the end of the decade and work on the manufacturing facility will begin this summer.
Ford’s investment comes after the company’s 91st year in Mexico and the first cars to roll off the new assembly line are expected in 2018, although the exact models to be produced south of the US border are not known at this point. Mexico is the brand’s fourth largest vehicle manufacturing site for global customers, after the United States, China and Germany. Cars produced in Mexico also serve customers in the US, Canada, China and throughout Latin America.