Ford Motor Company is planning to get rid of most of its cars for the American market in favor of more trucks, crossovers and SUVs. But the automaker on Friday said it’s canceling one of the only remaining cars it did plan to offer due to costs associated with President Trump’s trade war.
Ford says it’s scrapping plans to import the Focus Active from China because of he 25-percent tariffs the president has placed on automobiles, steel and aluminum from that country. The Focus Active was intended to replace the slow-selling Focus in the United States. Sometimes called a crossover, the Focus Active essentially a raised version of the Focus hatchback that’s similar to the wildly popular Subaru Crosstrek.
Ford will continue to offer the car in China and Europe.
The move leaves the venerable Mustang as the only true car in Ford’s long-range plans. The company says the Fiesta will continue into 2019 and the Fusion will also last at least a couple more years.
As we reported this week, Moody’s Investor Services downgraded Ford’s rating to just above junk status and gave the company’s stock a “negative” outlook.
