Foreign Carmakers to Keep Price Edge as Ford Faces Higher Labor Costs
Ford said on Monday a labor cost gap of $8 to $10 per hour will remain with nonunion automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp and Hyundai Motor Co under the new labor deal ratified by UAW Ford workers on Nov. 20. This means that foreign automakers with plants in the United States will be able to keep vehicle prices competitive with the unionized Detroit Three automakers, or charge less for their vehicles. According to CEO Mark Fields, Ford can leverage its global manufacturing footprint to boost its competitiveness in North America. "In this contract, we're not restricted from sourcing products anywhere in the Ford world for sale in the U.S. as long as we're meeting our U.S. sourcing commitment,” said Fields.
See "Foreign Carmakers to Keep Price Edge as Ford Faces Higher Labor Costs", November 30, 2015