Import Tariffs Kill the Last Ford Focus for the US Market

[Rhiannon12866]

The Trump administration's 25-percent tariff led Ford to cancel plans to import the made-in-China Focus Active to the US market.

As part of its shift away from sedans and hatchbacks, Ford had planned to sell just one variant of the new, fourth-generation Focus in the US market: The crossover-esque Focus Active shown above. This high-riding Focus is built in China, and that's recently become a problem. Automotive News reports today that Ford has cancelled its plans to import the Focus Active to the US, and it's all due to the 25-percent import tariff imposed as part of President Trump's trade war with China.

This tariffs would have reduced Ford's profits on the Focus Active, which would've been a niche product among Ford's planned portfolio of pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers for 2019 and beyond.

"The impact to our future sales is expected to be marginal," Ford North America president Kumar Galhotra told Automotive News. "Our viewpoint is that, given the tariffs, our costs would be substantially higher. Our resources could be better deployed at this stage."

Per Automotive News, Ford has decided it won't bring the Focus Active to the US market even if the US government removes the planned tariffs. This officially leaves just one passenger car in Ford's US lineup, the Mustang. Everything else will be a crossover, SUV, or truck by 2020, at which point US-market Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus production will have ended.


More: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a22886625/2019-ford-focus-active-dead-us/

[House of Roberts]

1. I want my cheap Chinese Ford!

Said nobody ever.
(I have a '94 Ranger which, IIRC, is basically a Mazda.)

[Sherman A1]

4. Same here

Mine is a few years later model and if one looks through the parts under the hood, many are imported.

[Sherman A1]

2. While I understand the decision in this particular case

I really feel the move to eliminate sedans across the board is a mistake and will not serve Ford well.

[Martin Eden]

5. Ford's average fuel economy will go way down

We need to go in the opposite direction, but Americans love their trucks and SUVs.

For now.

[duforsure]

3. trump killing more jobs

Then will say he's creating more jobs, another day, another lie.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Never had a Ford that did NOT break down frequently

I think I'm cursed.

Every Ford I ever bought, even the one I bought out of high school, has had really bad problems. I know people who buy Fords that have had them for years with no problems. But every time I buy one, it gives me nothing but headaches.