RELEASE: Gov. Whitmer’s Auto Show Address as Prepared for Delivery

Gov. Whitmer’s Auto Show Address as Prepared for Delivery

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer will deliver a keynote address at the Detroit Auto Show, discussing the impact of tariffs on Michigan’s economy, the importance of innovation and collaboration, and actions the state must take in 2026 to continue attracting business and creating good-paying local jobs amidst national uncertainty.

Since elected, Governor Whitmer has made clear that she will work with anyone to support Michigan’s economy. Michigan remains the #1 state for auto manufacturing and battery and EV investment. This address will lay out Governor Whitmer’s vision to strengthen and diversify Michigan’s economy and set the auto industry up for success.

Please see below for remarks as prepared for delivery.

Hello, Detroit! I’m excited to be back at the best auto show in the world in the beating heart of the American auto industry. I’ve been here many, many times and this is my last show as governor. I’ll return as a visitor, but you won’t have me to kick around next year! So, while I have the mic, I got some things to say. 

I spoke here 1 year ago, less than a week before the presidential inauguration. Since then, both the American and global economy have been rocked by change. Costs are up and uncertainty is everywhere. America stands more alone than she has in decades.

Perhaps no industry has seen more change or been more impacted than the auto industry. There have been a lot of challenges:

Not to mention the tariffs, which have taken a terrible toll.

American manufacturing has contracted for 9 straight months, leading to job losses and production cuts. Every industry that relies on a skilled, hands-on workforce is facing shortages, which will only get worse without a serious shift in national policy. We need a change.

Tariffs have their place, but they won’t magically restore American manufacturing. In fact, without a clear strategy, they hurt us more than our adversaries. We need a strategic national trade policy that encourages competition, fosters innovation, creates jobs, and lowers costs. And all businesses, including the auto industry, need stability with predictable policies and regulations.

In spite of all these big challenges, we’ve had some big wins too.

Michiganders made 2 million cars last year, one-fifth of the U.S. total.

Stellantis announced investments into Warren Truck Assembly and Detroit Assembly Complex Jefferson to create and protect thousands of good-paying, local union jobs building the next-generation of trucks and SUVs. The Auburn Hills Tech Center is buzzing with life again.

GM is increasing production of their gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty trucks at Orion Assembly.

Ford continues to move forward with their BlueOval plant in Marshall. This year, they’ll also launch 12 Ford Future Builders Labs in Detroit and Battle Creek schools, connecting thousands of local students with exciting careers in engineering, tech, and the trades. 

We’ve won several new projects up and down the auto supply chain too, including Geotab in Madison Heights, Laserglow in Sterling Heights, Magna International in Highland Park.

I signed another balanced, bipartisan budget and a long-term solution to fix the damn state AND local roads. Last year at the auto show, I pledged to bring Republicans and Democrats together on roads, and we got it done.

2025 tested us, but we still are we who we are.

#1 for auto manufacturing, R&D, and workforce…

and top 10 for doing business for the third year in a row.

In 2026, Michigan will stay focused on setting our auto industry up for success.

To do that, we have to look at what we’re up against. In a word—China. China’s ultimate goal is complete vertical integration. From extracting metal and minerals out of the ground to handing customers the keys, China wants to dominate every part of auto manufacturing. They’re making major headway.

China today mines or processes most of the metal, ore, and rare earth materials needed to build cars.

In 2025, they exported 6.8 million vehicles, up from just 1 million in 2020—a seven-fold increase in five years. 

Since 2009, their government has directly invested more than $230 billion into electric vehicles and batteries.

They’ve captured major market share almost everywhere except the U.S. and Canada.

Amidst rising competition, it’s tempting to see the future as zero-sum. A philosophy of “I win but only if you lose,” could lead someone to believe in the magical power of tariffs. But as we’ve seen over the past year, they don’t work alone. Nothing does. We have to meet these challenges.

But how? We can’t just copy China’s top-down, go-it-alone approach. Instead, we should double down on our strengths: innovation and collaboration. 

First, innovation. We’ve been good at this for a long time. The assembly line was conceptualized in Michigan to make more cars faster, but countless other industries benefitted by adopting it for themselves. That’s the beauty of a great idea. You can make it your own! 

Interchangeable parts, lightweight plastics and polymers, the just-in-time supply chain… these are all ideas that started in the auto industry but were adapted to improve all manufacturing.

Michigan is still home to some of the most exciting automotive research happening anywhere in the world. We still have the highest density of engineering talent of any state. We still have the best and largest network of small and medium-sized auto suppliers.

We often talk about diversifying Michigan’s economy away from the auto industry. But the secret is to capitalize on and use our auto industry as a launchpad for innovation. To help us, the state’s Community and Worker Economic Transition Office will be releasing Michigan’s first-ever economic transition strategy later today, here, at the Auto Show.

Their plan will help auto suppliers continue to be strong partners for OEMs and offer them a path to participate in emerging supply chains for clean energy, defense, aerospace, and chips.

We have to keep incentivizing R&D because it leads to innovation. Over the past century, federally funded R&D created the internet, touch screens, GPS, LEDs, MRIs, microchips, mRNA vaccines, and so much more.

Instead of building on that incredible record, the folks in DC have made deep, devastating cuts to R&D. Meanwhile, China has ramped up. They now spend more than the U.S. on R&D—for the first time ever.

In Michigan, at the state level, we still believe in science and technology. We established a bipartisan R&D tax credit. We work with our universities on cutting-edge initiatives… the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at MSU and an upcoming supercomputer thanks to a partnership between the UofM and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

And you know what? I want to share some news while we’re all here. Backstage, just before I came out to speak, I signed an executive directive to help us explore geologic hydrogen as a new source of clean, reliable energy in Michigan.

The directive could make us a national leader in this space. We’re already seeing a lot of interest in Michigan because we have more potential reserves under our feet than every other state. If our hydrogen reserves are proven, safe, and viable, they could lead to a massive economic boom, creating jobs, lowering costs, and reducing our reliance on foreign fuel.

With this directive, we can pioneer the future of energy and grow our economy.

Moving on, let’s talk about collaboration. Our auto industry relies on a web of strategic alliances that spans North America and the globe. Every Michigan-made car you see on the road or even the one you drove in today is a miracle of teamwork. 

This system only works if and when we are a good partner to our allies. When we fight our neighbors, however, China wins. We must not turn our backs on each other, not now, not ever. 

Last year, I shared this message at a gathering of industry leaders and policymakers in Canada. It resonated. I also went to the White House several times last year, where every time I sat with the President I reminded him that, “When we say ‘no’ to Canada, we say ‘yes’ to China.”

This summer, the U.S. will have a formal chance to renew the USMCA—President Trump’s trade agreement that protects American workers and increases our strategic collaboration with Canada and Mexico. We cannot and should not, as some have suggested, abandon it. Instead, we should build on the best parts and make it even better.

The USMCA has some of the strictest auto rules of any free trade agreement in the world. It raised wages for workers in all three countries, and guaranteed that more parts were made in the U.S. Is it perfect? No. But without our allies, we do not stand a chance.

A fully assembled vehicle requires nearly 30,000 parts. Producing all of them in the United States is impractical and, in many cases, impossible. There are zero vehicles on the road—zero—made with 100% U.S. parts. Collaboration is a strength, not a weakness. We must work together to keep assembly in Michigan as much as possible to protect good-paying union jobs.

Let’s live by the unofficial motto of the United States Marine Corps… “no better friend, no worse enemy.” If you’re willing to play fair, pay your workers well, and invest in America, we’ve got your back. If you’re going to steal technology, ignore worker protections or environmental standards, and use government funding to clear out competition, we’ll take you on.

The American auto industry of 2025, let alone 2050, cannot exist on an island. To compete against our adversaries, we have to collaborate with our friends.

To set ourselves up for success, here’s what we have to get done this year.

First, the legislature has got to get their job done—on time this year. That means they must pass the state budget and get it over to my desk by June 30th. With so much uncertainty, we owe it to local governments, schools, and businesses leaders to enact a transparent, timely budget. I’m confident we can get it done.

Next, let’s talk about workers. We need more skilled workers to fill good-paying, in-demand auto jobs, from mechanics and technicians to programmers and engineers.

We already have several programs to help people get skills:

And the Community College Guarantee, which gives every high school graduate the chance to earn a tuition-free associate’s degree.

The bipartisan program I want to draw our attention to, however, is Michigan Reconnect, which offers all residents 25 and older the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree or skills certificate, tuition-free.

I ran on this back in 2018, and I was proud to get it done in my first year. Since then, we’ve expanded it, all with bipartisan support. More than 200,000 people have signed up. They might be changing careers, looking to make more money, or pursuing a lifelong dream. No matter the reason, I’m proud of every Reconnector for betting on themselves.

In 2026, we can make Reconnect even better. This morning, I’m calling on the legislature to permanently expand Reconnect to every Michigander 21 and older. Senator Sarah Anthony already has a bill to get this done. If passed, I will sign it, and together, we can give every young person the chance to learn something new and make more money. At the same time, we’ll build a stronger talent pipeline for the auto industry.

Finally, let’s talk about the two forces I mentioned earlier: innovation and collaboration.

As governor, I’m going to stay focused on the fundamentals: affordable housing, great schools, safe roads, strong communities, and good-paying jobs. When we deliver on these kitchen-table issues, we make greater innovation and collaboration possible.

That’s why we’ve streamlined permitting and cut red tape so entrepreneurs can push boundaries and build things faster. This year, let’s continue finding commonsense ways to reduce paperwork and speed up the time to market for new ideas.

Crucially, we’ve also made record investments in housing, transit, and placemaking. This year, let’s keep building up our cities and towns, making them more affordable and attractive to talent.

As I close, I want all of us to approach every challenge we face with a simple question… do we want to win together? Or risk losing, going it alone?

We cannot shy away from the hard work it takes to compromise and get stuff done. It will always be easier to retreat and sit in a silo. Staying and figuring out how to win together is the smarter, harder choice. I encourage all of us to make it every single day.

This year, as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, let’s remember that in our nation’s defining moments, Americans chose to come together and do hard things. We’re stronger today not because of our ability to change, but because of our willingness to embrace change and work for a better future.

That is the story of Detroit, of Michigan, and of the United States. That’s who we are. Thank you all so much for being here. Let’s have a productive 2026. Onward!

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