DETROIT: General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra expressed optimism on Saturday that the North American Free Trade Agreement would survive, and other senior GM executives stood by the company’s plans to continue building trucks in Mexico. At an event to tout GM’s 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck ahead of the Detroit auto show, Barra twice did not answer directly when asked if the automaker is reconsidering current production in Mexico in light of potential changes or the collapse of the trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Company executives did not rule out future changes to its North American production plans depending on the outcome of ongoing Nafta renegotiation talks, even though it would be costly to shift production of trucks. Rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said on Thursday it will move production of its next-generation heavy-duty pickup trucks to Michigan from a plant in Mexico, a move that reduces the risk that those trucks would be hit with a 25 per cent tariff if Nafta unravels. Barra sidestepped a question about GM’s Mexican truck factory, saying, “When I look at our footprint, there is so much more work and negotiations to be done on Nafta.” — Reuters
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