President Donald Trump said on Friday he would not oppose Chinese automakers buildings cars in the United States despite widespread opposition from U.S. lawmakers and car companies.
Ford CEO Jim Farley announced a $1 billion investment in a new paint shop at the Kentucky Truck Plant, where vehicles roll off the line every 45 seconds.
Ford said it is investing $1 billion to build a new paint shop at its Kentucky truck plant. It follows Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressing "profound concern" about the automaker's ties to Chinese companies.
Long-simmering tensions between Ford and the Trump administration over the automaker's connections with Chinese companies boiled over this week in a contradictory flurry of Republican criticism and praise for the company.
Republicans in Congress on Wednesday joined criticism of Ford Motor over its business ties to Chinese firms after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sharply criticized the No. 2 U.S. automaker.