{"id":40865,"date":"2023-01-21T00:04:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T05:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40865"},"modified":"2023-01-21T00:04:31","modified_gmt":"2023-01-21T05:04:31","slug":"virginia-governor-youngkin-ford-catl-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40865","title":{"rendered":"VA governor says Ford has \u2018Trojan horse\u2019 relationship with Chinese battery maker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is calling an electric-vehicle battery<\/a> plant planned by Ford<\/a> Motor Co. and a Chinese partner a \u201cTrojan horse\u201d for China<\/a> that would undermine policy efforts to strengthen the U.S. auto industry.<\/p>\n

The Republican governor, who is considered to be a possible 2024 presidential candidate, defended his decision to remove his state from consideration for the proposed plant, a joint venture between Ford and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., also known as CATL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to bringing a great company there. It won\u2019t be one that uses kind of a Trojan-horse relationship with the Chinese Communist Party in order to gain,\u201d Youngkin said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg Television.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also said that vying for the plant would have undermined the premise of recently passed legislation championed by President Joe Biden<\/a>\u2019s administration. That law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, directs subsidies for EVs and batteries made in North America to wean the US off its dependence on China for battery materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have that site embroiled in what would have clearly been a deal that contravened the intent and purpose of the Inflation Reduction Act incentives \u2014 which is why it was being structured the way it was \u2014 could have taken that site offline for an extended period of time,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposed plant, which Michigan and other states have also vied for, is part of a wave of investment by automakers and battery manufacturers. They are spending billions of dollars \u2014 and receiving billions more in state and federal subsidies \u2014 as part of a transition from gasoline-powered vehicles to EVs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Ford had no comment on Youngkin\u2019s remarks. A spokesperson for CATL didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of business hours in China.<\/p>\n

Asked about a similar accusation from Youngkin on Jan. 18, Ford declined to directly respond and instead said in a statement: \u201cOur talks with CATL continue \u2014 and we have nothing new to announce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shares of Ford rose 0.6% as of 12:43 p.m. in New York.<\/p>\n

Youngkin said he would be open to working with Ford on future opportunities, as long as they do not also involve CATL. He has expressed regrets about missing out on other major factory deals in recent months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a zero-sum game and I would have loved to have Ford come to Virginia and build a battery plant, if they were not using it as a front for a company that\u2019s controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Youngkin declined to comment on the status of the site and any specific candidates, citing confidentiality agreements.<\/p>\n

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