Ford Kills $1.6B Mexico Plant, Cites, but Doesn’t Credit, Trump

[Business ★★]

A gift from Ford for President-elect Donald Trump: The automaker on Tuesday announced that they will no longer construct a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico. Instead, they will create 700 new jobs in Michigan by way of a $700 million investment in the state. CEO Mark Fields made clear that “we didn’t cut a deal with Trump,” who had been highly critical of the planned Mexico move, though Fields did speak with him Tuesday morning. “We did it for our business.” With that said, he called it a “vote of confidence” in the pro-business America Trump has vowed to foster, reports CNN.

The Michigan money will be spent at its Flat Rock plant, where it will manufacture more electric and self-driving cars. The now canceled plant in Mexico was to be the site of Ford Focus production. The Focus will instead be made at Ford’s plant in Hermosillo, Mexico.

WORDS: 149

SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/236336/ford-reverses-will-pump-cash-into-michigan-not-mexico.html

VOCABULARY: President-elect, automaker, critical, confidence, foster, canceled

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.

1. Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
2. Do you think companies in your country should build plants in other countries? Why or why not?
3. What are the names of some international companies in your country?
4. What are some of the popular cars in your country? Why?

READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

1. The name of the car manufacturer in the article is __________.
2. How much was the new plant in Mexica going to cost to build?
3. President-elect Donald Trump was highly against the new plant. (T or F)
4. Where will the money be spent in Michigan?
5. Where will the Ford Focus be produced now?

EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:

What do the following expressions or phrases mean?

• by way of (P1)
• cut a deal (P1)
• pro-business (P1)
• the Michigan money (P2)
• self-driving cars (P2)

Image source: by AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File http://www.newser.com/story/236336/ford-reverses-will-pump-cash-into-michigan-not-mexico.html