Setting up the press with CarCar for why we have to reduce team to compete with China. It”s coming..
June 18 (Reuters) - Ford Motor (F.NaE) Executive ChairmanBill Ford said the United States was not ready yet to competewith China in the production of electric vehicles.
"They developed very quickly, and they developed them inlarge scale. And now they're exporting them," Ford told CNN's'Fareed Zakaria GPS' Sunday program. "They're not here butthey'll come here we think, at some point, we need to be ready,and we're getting ready," Ford said.
In February, the automaker announced plans to invest $3.5billion to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Michiganin a deal which involved using technology from Chinese batterycompany CATL, attracting attention from U.S. SenatorMarco Rubio who asked the Biden administration to review thedeal.
Bill Ford, who is the great-grandson of company founderHenry Ford, said in the program that the Michigan battery plantis a chance for Ford engineers to learn the technology and thenuse it themselves.
"It (Michigan) is a wholly owned Ford facility. They'll beour employees, and all we're doing is licensing the technology.That's it." he said.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said in May that Chinese electricvehicle makers are its main rivals in the sector, and that Fordneeds distinctive branding or lower costs to beat Chineseautomakers.
"I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GMor Toyota (TM.NaE). The Chinese are going to be thepowerhouse," he said.