Ford to move all small car production to Mexico

US car manufacturer Ford plans to move all of its remaining small car production to Mexico from the US within the next two years.

Chief executive Mark Fields told a meeting in the company's base of Michigan, US, of the intention to move operations out of the country, unexpectedly provoking a reaction from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

"Over the next two to three years, we will have migrated all of our small car production to Mexico and out of the United States," Fields told the meeting.

Despite criticism from certain areas surounding the possible loss of jobs in Michigan, Ford have actually made a commitment to invest $9bn in US plants, with about half of that to be placed in the company's base. The deal is set to create or retain 8,500 jobs within the company.

Another of the "Big Three" of American carmakers has already moved the majority of its small car production to Mexico. Fiat Chrysler's only remaining small car in production at the end of this year, the Fiat 500, will be manufactured south of the border.

Trump criticised the decision by Ford in an aptly-scheduled meeting in Flint, Michigan, which has been particularly affected by the moving of jobs to more emerging markets.

"We shouldn’t allow it to happen," Trump said. "They’ll make their cars, they’ll employ thousands of people, not from this country, and they’ll sell their car across the border."