Fiat Chrysler has announced they will be investing $1B in the United States, which will go towards modernizing two plants in the Midwest. This modernization will reportedly allow them to manufacture a wider variety of models in the United States, and will add 2,000 production jobs in the process. According to Reuters, Fiat Chrysler said last year that they were shifting their focus to pickup trucks and SUVs rather than the more popular sedans of years before. Because of this, they also have to change their manufacturing capabilities to accommodate new lines and increased demand.
This comes after Donald Trump specifically called out manufacturers like Ford for making cars in Mexico and then importing them to the States, threatening to impose high tariffs on any vehicles being imported from across the border. One car that Fiat Chrysler now manufactures in Mexico, the Ram truck, will be shifted to a US plant after the upgrades are completed. Reports say that nobody at the company specifically consulted Donald Trump or his administration about this business move, so now that they’ve said so publicly he won’t be able to take credit for this economic boost in Ohio and Michigan.
Sergio Marchionne, the company’s CEO, said that FCA will “continue to reinforce the U.S. as a global manufacturing hub” for SUVs and pickup trucks, which could bode well for further expansion and job increases in the future.
(via Reuters)