How Ford burned $12B in Brazil (2021)

(reuters.com)

41 points | by kaycebasques 14 hours ago ago

15 comments

  • locao 22 minutes ago

    This article is wrong at its core.

    > The study was commissioned by Brazilian auto industry group Anfavea

    Nothing that comes from Anfavea is trustable. It's a crooked association of a few automakers that will try to push the government to give every subside to them and tax the other ones to the brim.

    The article tries to justify Ford Mexican cars low sales numbers in Brazil using every flawed argument Anfavea uses. For instance:

    > On Thursday, Ford launched its new Bronco Sport SUV in Brazil. Made in Mexico, it is exported to the U.S. where it starts at $26,820. In Brazil, where per capita income is much lower, Ford said the Mexican-made car will retail for $48,000.

    The key point here is "starts". Ford only imports top of the line cars in Brazil. I just searched Bronco Sport prices in Mexico in 2021, they started at $30900 up to $40000+. That $40000+ version was (still is) the only one sold in Brazil. 20% over the retail price in Mexico is not great, but far away from what the article tries to imply.

  • cladopa 3 hours ago

    It must be said: Mr Ford created way more wealth in the world than what it destroyed.

    For example, the Japanese discovered that importing Ford cars from Japan was cheaper that manufacturing those in Japan, including all the shipping cost.

    The same happened in Russia, Germany and most places of the West world.

    The new manufacturing method was a revolution that have generated trillions.

    • sidewndr46 2 hours ago

      > the Japanese discovered that importing Ford cars from Japan was cheaper that manufacturing those in Japan

      maybe I just don't understand, but something seems off with this statement?

      • sushid an hour ago

        to Japan* I think

    • lysace 2 hours ago

      And now an authoritarian one-party country (I think it's decidedly sliding into a dictatorship) is winning car manufacturing - and possibly almost all of manufacturing except high-end semiconductors and optics.

      The future is going to be interesting. :/

    • ProAm 3 hours ago

      Still a wild antisemitic so.... money isn't everything.

      • jazzyjackson 11 minutes ago

        Gets undue credit for assembly lines, guns and pocket watches were moving that way too, I wonder what middle school history book publisher cemented his legacy

      • elorant 3 hours ago

        I don’t understand why you’re downvoted. Hitler considered him an inspiration and praised him in Mein Kampf. Ford funded and published “The Dearborn Independent” which was a newspaper full of libel against Jews. Sure he was a visionary industrialist, but also a vile human being.

        • ulfw 2 hours ago

          So is Elon Musk and yet he is the richest man on Earth, has meddled in government freely and fanboys still believe every fart that is coming out of him.

          He used to be into making cars too but that clearly fell off the wayside

  • SPascareli13 3 hours ago

    Interesting aside, BYD (Chinese EV automaker) has took over production in the old Ford factory in Camaçari.

  • dmoo 3 hours ago
  • luqtas 2 hours ago

    they also managed to buy and destroy a really proeminent 4x4 national company [0] it's tech was of course, eaten by them

    [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troller_Ve%C3%ADculos_Especiai...

  • dartharva 2 hours ago

    Ford burnt a lot in India too iirc, it had to exit the market rather unceremoniously