It’s really not surprising that spokespeople for both General Motors and Chrysler have now denounced Mitt Romney’s shockingly blatant lies about their companies. In his zeal to smear President Obama in any way possible, Romney is actually willing to spread false claims that could seriously damage the auto industry; he’s put them in a position where they have to call him out to preserve their own reputations: Romney Camp: Pay No Attention to the Auto Companies Calling Us Liars.

A Romney ad running in Ohio says Obama “took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy and sold Chrysler to Italians, who are going to build Jeeps in China.” …

Noting that Chrysler production plans for Jeep had entered the public debate, Marchionne said, “I feel obliged to unambiguously restate our position: Jeep production will not be moved from the United States to China.

“Jeep is one of our truly global brands with uniquely American roots. This will never change. So much so that we committed that the iconic Wrangler nameplate, currently produced in our Toledo, Ohio plant, will never see full production outside the United States,” he continued.

“Jeep assembly lines will remain in operation in the United States and will constitute the backbone of the brand,” Marchionne said. “It is inaccurate to suggest anything different.”

[…]

GM’s spokesman Greg Martin assailed the ads on Tuesday, telling the Detroit Free Press that their facts come from a ‘parallel universe.’

‘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,’ Martin said.