TRUMP: "As you know, in addition to what we're talking about today, they're building — Japan — many car plants in the United States, which they weren't doing for a long time. And they're building in Michigan, Ohio, lots of different states. And we just appreciate it very much. Been a tremendous investment." — remarks Monday on trade.
THE FACTS: Japanese automakers are not building "many" car plants in the U.S. No Japanese automakers are building assembly plants in Michigan, and Honda is making only a small investment at an existing facility in Anna, Ohio, near Dayton. Last year, Honda announced it would build a hybrid SUV at a factory in Greensburg, Indiana, but that investment was a modest $4.2 million and added only 34 new jobs.
The only major assembly plant being built now by Japanese automakers in the U.S. is the Toyota-Mazda factory in Alabama, which is expected to employ 4,000 people and will start producing vehicles in 2021. In 2017, when the companies announced plans to build the $1.6 billion factory, Toyota's president said Trump did not influence the decision to build in the U.S.
Normally, parts-making companies set up operations in or near the main assembly plant, and that's happening in Huntsville. Six companies are investing about $491 million in the area, creating an expected 1,765 jobs, according to Toyota.
Earlier this year, Japanese truck maker Hino opened a new assembly plant in Mineral Wells, West Virginia, investing $100 million and creating 250 jobs. It replaced an older facility that also was in West Virginia.
The White House didn't respond to a message left Tuesday seeking clarification on what factories Trump was referring to.
Japanese automakers have been building in the U.S. since the 1970s and have expanded manufacturing over the years. The companies have announced millions in investments to retool existing plants to make new models. But these investments usually are routine and don't create a lot of new jobs. Toyota, for instance, announced earlier this year that it would put $750 million into five U.S. plants
and create nearly 600 new jobs. It was part of nearly $13 billion Toyota plans to spend by 2021.