Economics
Trump’s Made-in-America Car Campaign Hasn’t Spurred Investment
- New plant announcements trail annual pace for this decade
- Several automakers re-announce spending, appease president
A worker inspects a vehicle on the production line at the BMW manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Photographer: Ariana Lindquist/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When it comes to investments by global automakers in the U.S., 2017 is shaping up to be nothing special -- even after President Donald Trump’s threats to heavily tax cars shipped from abroad.
Companies including Toyota Motor Corp., Volvo Cars and Daimler AG have announced $5.5 billion in new American factory investments so far this year, shy of the $10.2 billion averaged annually this decade. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., the two biggest U.S. carmakers, are cutting shifts or scheduling time off at plants as industry sales slow.