Although technically correct, the President-elect’s tweet is disingenuous.
Donald Trump, the President-Elect, began his morning by blasting General Motors via a tweet. The incoming Commander in Chief claimed that GM manufactured the Cruze model in Mexico and then shipped it tax-free across the border to dealers. He threatened to “Make in the U.S.A., or pay large border taxes.”
GM quickly pointed out that the President-elect’s message was not technically correct. All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in America come from GM’s assembly plant in Lordstown in Ohio. However, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback is built by GM for global markets in Mexico. A few are sold in the U.S.
From January 2016 to November 2016, Chevrolet sold 171,552 Cruzes in the U.S. According to Motor1, the Cruze was sold in less than 5,000 hatchbacks during the same time period. This means that President-elect Trump is complaining about less three percent of Cruze deliveries to the U.S.
For the 2016 model year , the latest generation Cruze was put on sale in America. As a 2017 model , the company added the hatchback into the lineup.
The President-elect’s threat tweet is particularly confusing since Mary Barra, GM Chairperson and CEO, is one the appointees for his President’s Strategic and Policy Forum regarding jobs and the economy. This group meets at the White House for the first time in February. Its task is to “share our specific experience and knowledge as President Obama implements his plan to restore jobs.”
Since his election, Trump has had a frosty relationship with the auto sector. The incoming Commander in Chief threatened high taxes against Ford because he had built vehicles in Mexico and sold them in the U.S. This behavior is currently legal under the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Trump threatens to end it.