Factories and Manufacturing

• Volkswagen Suffers More Than Rivals From Auto Industry Woes - The German automaker’s sales in the United States plunged last year, hit by tariffs and the end of tax credits for electric vehicles.
• The Pentagon and A.I. Giants Have a Weakness. Both Need China’s Batteries, Badly. - As warfare is reinvented in Ukraine, and Silicon Valley races to maintain its A.I. lead, China’s battery dominance is raising alarms far beyond the auto industry.
• Volkswagen to End Production at German Plant, a First in Company History - The auto giant stopped making cars at the plant in Dresden, which opened in 2001, as it faces weaker demand and steep U.S. tariffs.
• Ford Will Take $19.5 Billion Hit as It Rolls Back E.V. Plans - Ford Motor said the costs came from its decision to make fewer electric vehicles than it had planned and more hybrids that use both gasoline engines and batteries.
• Trump’s Tariffs Shrank the U.S. Trade Deficit in September - U.S. imports and exports ticked up from lows the previous month when the president’s global tariffs went into effect, while the trade deficit continued to fall.
• Mexico Approves 50% Tariffs on Many Chinese Imports - The tariffs will apply to goods from China and other nations. Washington has been pressuring Mexico to move away from dealing with China.
• Trump Insists Tariffs Will Buoy the Economy and Ease Cost Concerns - The president rolled out a $12 billion bailout for farmers as he makes the case that his policy is working — or will soon.
• China’s Trade Surplus Climbs Past $1 Trillion for First Time - President Trump’s tariffs weren’t enough to hold back the global export flood by China, which pushed past last year’s record in just 11 months.
• Have Trump’s Tariffs Gone as High as They Can Go? Business Hope So - A wave of companies are petitioning for exemptions from the Trump administration’s high levies on foreign-made goods, saying they are hurting business and raising prices.