by In yet another sign the White House has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about, they bragged that “President Trump’s trade agenda is rebuilding the American auto industry.”
They pointed to Ford’s recent decision to phase out imports of the Chinese-made Nautilus. As the company announced last week, they’ll produce more Lincolns in the United States starting in 2030.
More: Ford Will Stop Importing Lincoln’s Best-Seller From China And Build More In America
Lincoln isn’t alone as a number of automakers are moving production stateside to avoid hefty tariffs. The government pointed to numerous examples ranging from General Motors and Stellantis to Honda, Toyota, and Mercedes.
The last example is where things go off the rails, as they said “Rolls-Royce is investing $75 million to boost engine production at its Aiken, South Carolina facility, and recently completed a $24 million expansion of its Mankato, Minnesota plant.”
Rolls-Royce plc
While that’s true, this has absolutely nothing to do with the automotive industry. Rolls-Royce plc focuses on civil aviation, defense, and power systems. They’re not connected with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, as the two companies split in the 1970s.
As a result, the closest thing to a Rolls-Royce plc car is an Airbus or Boeing taxiing to the runway. That’s not exactly the ultra-luxury vehicle that the Trump Administration had in mind.
Rolls-Royce plc
Despite this, the White House said “President Trump’s America First agenda is scoring a decisive victory over decades of off-shoring. Companies that once chased cheap labor overseas are now pouring capital into U.S. plants — delivering vehicles Made in America, by American workers, for American consumers.”
This isn’t even the first time the White House has made the same mistake; in January, they mentioned a Rolls-Royce plc investment was part of “President Trump’s all-out push to Make Driving Great Again.”
While it’s amusing that the White House doesn’t know the difference between Rolls-Royce cars and Rolls-Royce plc, they’re not the only ones, as we’ve seen numerous writers and publications make the same mistake over the years. It’s so common that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has a disclaimer saying it’s a “wholly-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group and is a completely separate company from Rolls-Royce plc, the manufacturer of aircraft engines and propulsion systems.”
