On the surface, Ford Motor Co.’s decision to scrap a $1.6 billion Mexican plant and invest $700 million in Michigan is a public relations victory. It makes peace with the incoming Trump administration that repeatedly berated Ford on the campaign trail.
But in reality, the decision has more to do with good business practices — namely, using plant capacity and coping with a drop in demand for small cars — than any tariff threat or aggressive tweets from the president-elect.
