U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced via Twitter Thursday night that Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. personally phoned him to say that a Lincoln plant is staying in Kentucky in lieu of moving to Mexico.
President-elect Donald Trump smiles as he arrives to speak at an election night rally, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) DETROIT -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced via Twitter Thursday night that Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. personally phoned him to say that a Lincoln plant is staying in Kentucky in lieu of moving to Mexico.
Ford had no plans to move an entire Kentucky plant to Mexico, and Trump appears to have been referring to the Dearborn automaker's decision to keep production of its Lincoln MKC crossover at its Louisville Assembly Plant site in favor of moving it elsewhere.
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
-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2016
As part of its latest contract agreement with the UAW, Ford had allowed or the Lincoln MKC production to be adjusted in favor of building more Escape SUVs at the Kentucky site. The company had not said where else the Lincoln SUV could be built
The company now confirms it plans to keep MKC production at Louisville Assembly, where about 4,700 workers build the Lincoln MKC and Ford Escape.
I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!
-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2016
MLive left a message Friday morning seeking comment from the company.
A company spokeswoman confirmed to the Associated Press that it had informed Trump of its decision, but said she did not know when the decision was made to keep production at the Kentucky site, or if Trump played any role in the move.
"We are encouraged that President-elect Trump and the new Congress will pursue policies that will improve U.S. competitiveness and make it possible to keep production of this vehicle here in the United States," the company said in a statement.
On the campaign trail, Ford was frequently in Trump's crosshairs for adding production in Mexico. The reality television star and real estate magnate would also make loose claims of major U.S. job losses that the automaker's top executives would then refute.
Trump has also threatened up to a 35 percent tariff on all cars coming to the U.S. from Mexico.
Ford President and CEO Mark Fields confirmed in September the automaker is shifting all its small car production to Mexico, though he has insisted the move will not result in lost jobs in the U.S.
Ford is far from alone in the move, as automakers head south of the border to capitalize on cheaper labor for production of small cars, which have not been as profitable as trucks and SUVs.
Mexico is Ford's fourth largest country for manufacturing, after the U.S., China and Germany. Vehicles produced by Ford in Mexico are sold in the U.S., Canada, several South American countries and South Korea.
The company has had operations in Mexico for 91 years.