Car companies panicking over Tariffs. Not Ford!

Good day all. One of the things that Wall Street and the TransNational Free Trade Globalists are angry about is the Tariffs that President Trump is putting into place. Car companies are in panic of the increased costs of importing cars and parts. One company isn’t worried at all.

Ford Motors CEO is just fine with President Trump’s tariffs. Why? Because Ford builds their cars and trucks in the United States, not overseas. Here are the details from the New York Post:

Nearly two months after Donald Trump’s far-reaching tariffs were unveiled, Ford Motors CEO Jim Farley told me how — despite that added complexity — he has never been more optimistic about Ford’s future.

“I mean, how exciting is it to go from being criticized for our US plants — in every investor meeting I had, [hearing] why do you make so much in the US, why don’t you localize overseas, why don’t you do more of what your competitors do? — to actually be advantaged because we’re building an American car company and always have.”

Despite globalization, Ford, a publicly traded but family-controlled company, has consistently invested in American operations, manufacturing high-value products domestically and exporting more than it imports. It’s the largest US automaker by domestic production, and the F-150 is the biggest consumer product by revenue actually made in America, according to BCG. 

I have a Ford Bronco I confiscated from the Angry Systems Administrator. I like it a lot and it was made in the United States. My previous vehicle was a Toyota Tacoma and I think it was made in Texas. I know that Toyota moved the Tacoma line out of Texas to Mexico a few years ago and are now racing to move the lines back into the United States.

The Trump administration’s focus on American manufacturing, Farley said, aligns with Ford’s long-standing strategy.

“We’re not quite there yet,” he said of how tariffs could motivate re-shoring, “but that’s the place we’re gonna be.”

Ford apparently doesn’t make some items like transmissions in the United States. That’s something that needs to be brought back anyway. On other items, they haven’t been manufactured in the United States in decades. This I can believe. We started shipping our manufacturing capacity out of the United States in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

On its earnings call, Ford said that the tariffs could increase its costs as much as $1.5 billion this year on adjusted earnings.

“If we made 100% of the parts in the US and not [Ford’s current] 85%, that 15% times the US premium for all the other things I mentioned would add thousands,” Farley said.

For years, Ford “just had a lower margin … It cost us a billion dollars a year [to manufacture so much domestically], and Wall Street wasn’t happy with that.”

That’s Wall Street’s problem. I recall reading that when the Bronco was being readied for sale, the profit was anticipated to be something like $7000 per unit. When I was looking for a new car, I also looked at the Jeep. For the basically the same options, it was almost twice as much. I think I got a good deal.

Uncertainty about parts is also why, on an earnings call last week, Ford made the highly unusual move of suspending guidance for the rest of the year. Since then, Trump has hammered out a deal with China — providing enough clarity, Farley said, that the carmaker may be able to reinstate guidance.

“There are thousands of pieces in an F-150… we can’t make it without parts from China,” Farley said. 

But now? “Our parts just got more affordable.”

I think you should still move as much into the United States as possible. One thing you have going foward is that you will be building plants with the absolute latest technology in them. That means a ton of automation.

This deal not only secures a more cost-effective supply chain but also may allow Ford to resume exports of its high-end vehicles, which remain highly popular in China — boosting production, bringing furloughed workers back and strengthening the company’s position globally.

Getting a car in China is not that easy. To begin with, getting a driver’s license is very expensive. I’ve been told, and this was a while ago, that it costs over $4000 to get a drivers license. Then there is the actual costs of the car. China, like most of the other countries up until recently, puts tariffs, taxes and in sme cases bans on American car imports. This is one reason car companies might build plants in different companies. Still, forcing other countries to “Level the playing field” is a good thing.

“I know how powerful tariffs are for changing fairness,” Farley added — noting that China, Japan, and South Korea have all been subsidizing car companies for years, to the tune of $2,000 to $3,000 a vehicle. 

“It may not even be high enough for that to happen, depends on the country. But it’s the fairest fight we’ve had in a couple of decades.”

Apparently. Mr. Farley is a third generation Ford employee, although he has not spent his entire career at Ford.

After spending the first 20 years of his career at Toyota — much to his family’s chagrin, he jokes — Farley decided to leave California and move to Detroit to help rebuild after the 2008 financial crisis (Unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford did not take a bailout but continued to invest in the US). He joined as an executive and was elevated to CEO in 2020.

I remember that one. Chrysler is now part of Fiat and GM is GM. Many people approved of Ford’s stand to not take the bailout. Some of them even bought Fords. Now Ford is in the catbird seat and is in a position to really profit from the reelection of the Greatest President of the 21^st Century, Donald Trump. Yes, Ford has it’s share of recalls, and their EV business, which, to be honest, was shoved down their throats by the Biden Maladministration, is a money pit.

Still, the success of the F150, the new Maverick and Bronco lines as well as their putting their corporate money where their mouths are and both keeping and bringing manufacturing in the United States is a big plus to many Americans. I mentioned before that I had a Toyota Tacoma. It’s legendary toughness was just that. A legend. The reality for me was having to replace the frame, the steering box and the transmission. We shall see how my Bronco fairs. As for Ford? Keep up the good work. Your foresight and loyalty to the United States should be rewarded with bigger sales.

Thatisall

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