Trump's Demand For Free Trade Kills Ford Focus Crossover Plans

Ford Motor Co. is again readjusting its future product plans in the United States, this time in response to tariffs imposed on Chinese imports by President Donald Trump — and the threat of more to come.

The Blue Oval is scrapping its plan to sell the China-built Focus Active crossover in the automaker's home market, effectively axing the Focus name plate in the U.S. by the end of next year and ultimately leaving just one Ford-brand car in showrooms within the next few years: the Mustang.

The Focus-based vehicle, previously expected to arrive in the United States by late 2019, would have been built in China by Ford and shipped to the United States. Recent tariffs imposed on Chinese imports by the Trump administration — and those expected to be levied on imported vehicles — would have trimmed profits on an already low-margin vehicle.

Vette71 - 9/4/2018 10:14:33 AM

+10 Boost

"It ain't over til it's over" Yogi Berra

The game is still being played in the tariff arena. If the goal is zero tariffs and that is the final outcome, then this decision would get reversed. It is more likely they were looking for an excuse, especially since they didn't go for an exemption ala Buick.

One has to wonder if the former office furniture guru, Jim Hackett, is doing a hack job on Ford. His goal and the decisions so far seem more like the work of GM bean counters and not someone who understands the auto business's customers.

xjug1987a - 9/4/2018 10:25:38 AM

+10 Boost

Build it here... problem solved.

MDarringer - 9/4/2018 10:22:57 PM

+8 Boost

#winning

MDarringer - 9/4/2018 7:00:18 PM

+1 Boost

This really isn't much of a loss. It would have been at best a 20K seller not the 200K seller it needed to be.

CarCrazedinCali - 9/4/2018 9:08:56 PM

+9 Boost

So much winning

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 9/4/2018 9:33:30 PM

-3 Boost

Large corporations will always act to benefit their own best interests first.

jeffgall - 9/4/2018 11:16:55 PM

+8 Boost

And why wouldn’t they. They are not a charity. Their share holders and stakeholders are their responsibility.

jeffgall - 9/4/2018 11:19:37 PM

+2 Boost

If Ford is seeing low margins, that means the Chinese are benefiting the most from production. This will hurt the Chinese the most.