General Motors and Chrysler are hitting back at Mitt Romney as the presidential candidate has broadened his attack on President Barack Obama's auto industry restructuring.
Romney's main point is a suggestion that General Motors used the aid to hire more workers in China than the U.S.
"Barack Obama says he saved the auto industry. But for who? Ohio or China?" says the narrator in a radio spot running now in Ohio. "Under President Obama, GM cut 15,000 American jobs, but they are planning to double the number of cars built in China, which means 15,000 more jobs for China. And now comes word that Chrysler is planning to build cars in, you guessed it, China."
GM quickly defended its performance.
"We've clearly entered some parallel universe during these last few days," GM spokesman Greg Martin told the Free Press. "No amount of campaign politics at its cynical worst will diminish our record of creating jobs in the U.S. and repatriating profits back to this country."
Separately, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne used an e-mail to employees Tuesday to refute the implication in a Romney TV ad that Chrysler may move all Jeep production from the U.S. to China.
"Jeep production will not be moved from the United States to China," Marchionne stated in the e-mail.
