The First Model Ford Built In America Car. The Ford Motor Company announced Monday that it is pausing construction on a massive electric battery plant in Michigan that involved a Chinese EV battery company. Notably, the plan had been originally considered for Virginia, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin opposed it due to China's potential influence in the plan, arguing that "CATL and the Chinese Communist Party would have full operational control over the technology." Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer had no such qualms, however, and welcomed the plant with open arms as her state government pumped $1 billion into the project. It’s not clear why Ford got cold feet:
Ford had initially planned on spending upwards of $3.5 billion on the project in Marshall, Michigan. It was hoped it would produce at least 2,500 jobs. Concerns had been raised by multiple groups, including the House Ways and Means Committee, about the wisdom of partnering with the Chinese on such a critical project. A group of House Republicans wrote a letter earlier in September to Ford CEO Jim Farley blasting the plan:
Not surprisingly, the United Auto Workers Union, which is currently on strike against General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford, was infuriated by the news: Here's the rest of the tweet:
Although Ford has thus far not given an exact reason for the shutdown, one has to ask why such a plan was considered in the first place. The People's Republic of China is our number one competitor in the world, and should relations deteriorate further, it's not wise or strategic to put them in a position of such power in our crucial automobile industry. Couldn't they find an American company that could do the job? |
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