CAR on NAFTA: 'We Build Things Together'

“We don’t just sell to each other–this is a kind of unique relationship in the world…we make things together,” said Canada International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne in a recent speech. Center for Automotive Research analyst Bernard Swiecki referred to the quote as a summary of what NAFTA means to the North American automotive industry.  “We build things together, we are each other’s inputs,” he said in his presentation at the Jan. 25 Association of Steel Distributors meeting in Detroit.

The NAFTA negotiations are stalling and the U.S. may end up withdrawing from the trade agreement that has worked to the benefit of the automotive industry and its supply chain for more than two decades. A central argument for U.S. negotiators is that Mexico has taken jobs from U.S. workers, but as Swiecki pointed out, the issue is not that simple.