BRP could move Mexican production if NAFTA changes too onerous, says CEO

MONTREAL — The company that makes Ski-doos, Seadoos and Spyder vehicles says it could move production from Mexico if NAFTA changes result in hefty border taxes, but BRP chief executive Jose Boisjoli is hoping “common sense” will prevail during upcoming negotiations.

“We don’t want to do it,” he said in an interview Friday about moving assembly work. “(But) if the tariff is very high, we could.” Boisjoli said the Quebecbased company has reviewed its options and will be ready to act swiftly as it has in the past to market fluctuations and geopolitical realities. However, he declined to say if work could move back to Canada or to its facilities in Austria, Finland or the United States. BRP employs 3,600 people at three facilities in Mexico out of its global workforce of 8,700.

Moving an assembly plant can be done quicker than developing a whole supply chain, Boisjoli added. However, he doesn’t believe the Trump administration will take drastic action that could significantly hurt the U.S. economy by increasing the cost of goods that will lead to higher retail sales prices.