DETROIT -- Ford Motor is denying a news report that it plans to build the next-generation Fusion sedan in China and ship it to North America.
The new Ford Fusion hybrid.
Reuters reported Wednesday that the automaker was to consolidate global production of midsize sedans in China in 2020 and export them to the U.S. and Europe.
Ford, based in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, currently assembles the Fusion in Hermosillo, Mexico. Its European counterpart, called the Mondeo, is assembled in Valencia, Spain.
"We have no plans to export the next-generation Fusion/Mondeo from China to North America and Europe," Ford said in a statement. "Fusion/Mondeo are an important part of the Ford car lineup. We will have more information to share about the next Fusion/Mondeo at a later date."
Ford said in June that it would transfer some production of the Focus from Cuautitlan, Mexico, to China and ship some of the compacts to the U.S.
CEO Jim Hackett is looking for ways to cut costs and maximize profitability of all Ford vehicles.
Both the Focus and Fusion are battling in shrinking segments as Americans continue to prefer larger trucks, SUVs and crossovers to passenger cars. Despite strong November sales, Focus sales are down 7.2% from last year through November. Fusion sales have fallen 22% so far this year.
Ford already makes the Focus for sale in China as two plants owned by its Changan Ford joint venture in Chongqing, where it also produces Mondeo and a Chinese-market version of the Taurus.
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All automakers in the U.S. are scoping out alternatives if the Trump administration withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Dissolving the 25-year-old trade pact could result in the U.S. levying tariffs on vehicles and parts produced in Mexico or Canada.
Last month Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of global operations; General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne met with Vice President Mike Pence and urged him to think through the impact of ending NAFTA.
Last week, Ford announced that it would shift production of a future battery electric vehicle from Flat Rock, Mich., to Cuautitlan, Mexico in 2020. The move would enable the Michigan factory to build self-driving vehicles in 2021, and another as-yet-unnamed future vehicle. Ford currently assembles Mustangs and Lincoln Continentals in Flat Rock.
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