Great Wall Motors wants to become the world’s largest SUV maker and acquiring Jeep would enable the company to achieve its goal sooner, a spokesman said Andrew Burton/Getty ImagesOne of China’s largest carmakers is to attempt to take control of Jeep in a deal that would intensify a political showdown between Washington and Beijing over American factory jobs. Great Wall Motors, China’s leading maker of sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks, said yesterday that it was “connecting with” Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the owner of Jeep, with a view to making a bid. The Chinese carmaker went public with its plan a week after President Trump instructed his top trade negotiator to investigate allegations that China steals corporate secrets and employs other unfair trading practices that destroy American jobs. The investigation could ultimately lead to the imposition of tariffs and other sanctions on China, something that Beijing said would “poison the overall China-US…

Source: The Times August 21, 2017 16:07 UTC