- Jim Farley warns Chinese automakers could damage American manufacturing and jobs base.
- Tariffs currently block entry but global expansion shows growing competitive threat abroad.
- Concerns include pricing power, government backing and potential data security risks.
Ford CEO Jim Farley is sounding the alarm about the threat posed by Chinese automakers, not just to Ford or the US auto industry, but the entire American economy.
“We should not let them into our country,” Farley said of Chinese automakers while being interviewed by Fox News. He said the potential impact of allowing them into the US car market would have such a negative impact on US manufacturing that it would be “devastating to our country.”
More: Jim Farley Is Auctioning The Pantera That Ford Once Used As A Company Car
That’s about as direct as it gets from the top executive at America’s biggest car company. One who has driven and praised Chinese cars in the past, and knows all too well how successful the likes of BYD and Xiaomi would be if allowed to compete with Ford, GM and Toyota inside the US.
Dangerously Close
The urgency heard in Farley’s words is rooted in the fact that while current US tariffs of 100 percent on Chinese cars imported to the US mean bringing them isn’t economically viable, they’re now closer than ever the to the US border. Mexico allows the sale of Chinese cars, and companies like BYD already build vehicles in the country. And now Canada is allowing them to be sold there, and Stellantis is considering building Chinese Leapmotor EVs in an old Jeep plant.
Part of Farley’s concern is cost-based. Chinese manufacturers benefit from significant government backing, which allows them to undercut rivals on price. “There is no way this is a fair fight,” Farley told Fox’s presenter. That imbalance, he argues, could quickly erode the position of American brands if the floodgates were opened.
Privacy And Security Worries
There’s also a technology angle to all of this that Farley highlights. Modern vehicles are packed with sensors and connectivity features, and the Ford CEO raised concerns about what that might mean.
“All of these vehicles have 10 cameras,” he said on Fox and Friends. “They can collect a lot of data,” he added, leaving us, and US lawmakers, to imagine where all of that data might end up.
“I sure hope we don’t allow them across the border,” Farley said in summing up. Do you agree with him?
