December 04, 2018 12:00 AM

VW says it might use Ford manufacturing capacity in the U.S.

From wire reports

REUTERS

VW CEO Herbert Diess in Washington on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON -- Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said the automaker was building an alliance with Ford and that they might use the U.S. automaker's plants to build cars.

VW is also considering building a second car plant, Diess said on Tuesday after a meeting at the White House. "We are in quite advanced negotiations and dialog with Ford to really build up a global automotive alliance, which also would strengthen the American automotive industry," he said.

Ford and VW said on June 19 they would explore a strategic alliance and they agreed to a memorandum of understanding at the time. Talks further intensified this fall, the automakers said in October.

Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, on Tuesday said: "We haven't gotten that granular in our talks yet, but clearly we are talking with them." He said the talks were going “really well” and that “the culture fit is good."

The automakers have said previously they are talking about potential collaborations across a number of areas.

Diess also said VW is in advanced negotiations in Tennessee, where the company already has a plant in Chattanooga, about boosting its U.S. capacity, but that there could be other options. A decision could be made in early 2019, he said.

Europe talks

Diess said VW would not take an equity stake in Ford as part of its alliance. "We are building an alliance with Ford which will strengthen Ford's position in Europe because we will share platforms," he said. "We might use Ford capacity here in the U.S. to build cars for us."

Diess said VW planned to talk more about the Ford alliance in January.

“We need additional capacity here in the United States, we need an additional car plant for VW and Audi combined,” Diess told reporters in Washington after meeting with President Donald Trump and trade officials.

Ford and VW have been in talks for more than a year about VW investing in Argo AI, Ford's self-driving technology partner, to jointly develop autonomous cars, according to people familiar with the discussions. The two automakers also are considering tie-ups to produce electric vehicles and share manufacturing in regions around the world, the people have said.

“We’re having a very broad set of discussions about how we can help each other around the world,” Bob Shanks, Ford’s chief financial officer, said in an October interview. “Collaboration isn’t being limited in any way whatsoever.”

Discussions with Trump

Diess was joined at the White House meeting by his counterpart at Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, and BMW Chief Financial Officer Nicolas Peter.

The automakers have found themselves in harm’s way as Trump wields higher tariffs as a cudgel to rebalance trade with both China and the European Union. BMW and Daimler are the biggest car exporters from the U.S. to China, while VW’s two most profitable brands, Porsche and Audi, would get hammered if Trump follows through with a potential 25 percent levy on imports from the EU.

“That’s basically why we are here, to avoid the additional tariffs and I think we’re on a good way,” Diess said.

REUTERS

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche: "We weren't here as a trade delegation."

The three automakers have no official role in the overall trade talks between U.S. and EU trade officials, and stressed that at the end of their meetings. The companies are trying to avoid becoming entangled in the talks but they accepted the invitation extended by a Trump administration eager to jump-start progress on its highest priorities.

“We weren’t here as a trade delegation,” Zetsche said.

“We said in general terms that our planned additional investments here that are not commercially sensible per se of course would have to be part of a larger understanding and for that the conditions under which we operate cannot change. That was very well understood,” Zetsche said.

Trade deficit

The White House is looking to whittle down a $30 billion automotive trade deficit with Germany with increased production in the U.S., Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said ahead of a meeting with automakers in Washington Tuesday. It remains the biggest single chunk of an overall $65 billion trade deficit with the EU.

All three automakers met separately with Trump’s key lieutenants on trade, including Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and economic adviser Larry Kudlow, before a joint meeting that followed. They then met with Trump in the Oval Office.

“The president shared his vision of all automakers producing in the United States and creating a more friendly business environment,” Lindsay Walters, a White House spokeswoman, said.

Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars produces vehicles in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, shipping many of its SUVs made there to China. Daimler employs some 3,700 workers at the U.S. site, which can churn out more than 280,000 vehicles per year, including GLE and GLS SUVs for global markets and C-class sedans for North America.

Bloomberg and Automotive News staff contributed to this report.