Trump says Ford called to say keeping Lincoln plant in Kentucky

[SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN] President-elect Donald Trump said Ford Motor Co. will be keeping a Lincoln plant in the US instead of moving it to Mexico.

"Just got a call from my friend Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford, who advised me that he will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky - no Mexico," Mr Trump wrote in posting on Twitter.

Ford builds the Lincoln MKC small sport-utility vehicle at its Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky alongside the Ford Escape SUV. Ford has never said it was considering moving MKC production to Mexico, where it builds the Lincoln MKZ sedan at its factory in Hermosillo.

Mr Trump has criticised Ford for planning to move all its North American small-car production to Mexico, where wages are 80 per cent lower than in the US.

During the campaign, he threatened to slap Ford's Mexican-built cars with a 35 per cent tariff. He also said he would terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which lets goods flow between Mexico, the US and Canada without tariffs.

Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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