[keithwwalker]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/business/international/winding-road-ahead-for-us-europe-trade-talks.html?ref=automobiles&_r=1

If the ground rules change, then this could mean that the PM could be built and finished in Italy, without the stopover in Mexico.

 

[keeponvaning]

Still way cheaper labor in Mexico so I doubt it.

 

[alcatraz]

But wouldn't the savings in shipping still be worth it? Shipping from Italy to Mexico must cost a pretty penny.

 

[keeponvaning]

Shipping parts in containers is cheap. Mexico has next to no environmental regulations, the workers work for next to nothing as compared to the EU, much quicker to adjust production for the NA market from Mexico than Italy.

It will never happen. I could see the reverse happening. Build in Mexico and ship to the EU. Inveco already builds the Ducatto in Brazil, for the SA markets.

 

[keithwwalker]

It depends if they ever do the stamping body assembly and paint in Mexico, then it would be cheaper for FCA to produce complete vans in Mexico.

Right now, Mexico only does final assembly, so if the chicken tax went away, then it would be cheaper just to dispatch the complete vehicle to the USA.

Please note that the NYTimes article describes how Sprinters are completely built and road tested in Germany, then stripped apart for re-assembly in the USA.