Following a meeting with the chief executives of Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the Detroit Three to increase U.S. production.
During a discussion with Mary Barra, Mark Fields and Sergio Marchionne, Trump said he wanted to see more car factories in the United States and promised that if carmakers follow his wishes, regulations and taxes will be cut to make the U.S. a more appealing market for manufacturing.
Speaking with reporters during the meeting, Trump said “We have a very big push on to have auto plants and other plants – many other plants. t’s happening. It’s happening big league.”
After the meeting, GM CEO Mary Barra said the talks were “very constructive and wide-ranging” while Fields echoed Barra’s optimism about Trump’s presidency and its potential benefits.
“We’re excited about working together with the president and his administration on tax policies, on regulation and on trade to really create a renaissance in American manufacturing. We’ve repeatedly said that the mother of all trade barriers is currency manipulation, and TPP failed in meaningfully dealing with that, and we appreciate the president’s courage to walk away from a bad trade deal,” Fields said.
Reuters asserts that the automotive executives discussed the issue of fuel efficiency rules, a host of regulatory matters, trade policy and electric and autonomous vehicles with Trump.
In a statement issued after the hour-long meeting, Marchionne said “I appreciate the President’s focus on making the US a great place to do business. We look forward to working with President Trump and members of Congress to strengthen American manufacturing.”
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