Auto Service World: Marick Masters on GM job cuts and President Trump's trade agenda
Donald Trump’s tariff battles with Canada, Mexico, China and Europe have inflated the cost of steel, making it more expensive to build cars in North America, but General Motors’ decision to close factories and lay off thousands of people is more about tactics than the balance sheet, say trade observers and automotive industry experts. “It’s very understandable, given all the hype associated with the trade agreement, and, you might say, the troubled relationship between your prime minister and our president, that it’s some sort of reaction to the tariffs on steel and aluminum,” said Wayne State University business professor Marick Masters. “But I think it’s more of a strategic adjustment by General Motors to prepare itself for a future in which it’s trying to get ahead of the technology curve.”
