WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Mar 26) announced plans for long-promised tariffs of up to 25 per cent on automotive imports, widening the global trade war he kicked off upon regaining the White House this year.
Automotive industry experts expect the move will drive up prices and stymie production.
“What we’re going to be doing is a 25 per cent tariff for all cars that are not made in the United States,” Trump said at an event in the Oval Office.
“We start off with a 2.5 per cent base, which is what we’re at, and go to 25 per cent.”
Trump, who sees tariffs as a tool to raise revenue to offset his promised tax cuts and to revive a long-declining US industrial base, said the new import taxes will go into effect on Apr 2, the same date he plans to announce reciprocal tariffs aimed at the countries responsible for the bulk of the US trade deficit.
Collection of the new auto tariffs would begin on Apr 3. Besides cars, it will also impact light trucks.
Regarding the coming Apr 2 announcement, Trump indicated the measures may not be the like-for-like levies he has been pledging to impose.
“We’re going to make it very lenient,” Trump said. “I think people will be very surprised. It’ll be, in many cases, less than the tariff they’ve been charging for decades.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday condemned the tariffs.
“I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European automotive exports,” von der Leyen said in a statement, adding the European Union would “continue to seek negotiated solutions, while safeguarding its economic interests”.
STOCKS FALL
Shares of US-listed automakers fell on news of the press conference on concerns that tariffs would send shock waves through a global auto industry that is already reeling from uncertainty caused by Trump’s rapid-fire tariff threats and occasional reversals.
The US stock market also closed lower on worries over tariffs, which have dogged investors for much of the last month.
The benchmark S&P 500 Index fell 1.1 per cent ahead of the press conference, and is down more than 4 per cent so far in March for its worst monthly performance in nearly a year.
Shares in automaker General Motors closed 3.1 per cent down, while Ford eked out a 0.1 per cent gain.
Since taking office on Jan 20, Trump has announced and delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico for what he alleges is their role in allowing the opioid fentanyl into the US. He set import taxes on goods from China for the same reason.
The US president also launched hefty duties on imports of steel and aluminium and has repeatedly touted his plans to announce global reciprocal tariffs on Apr 2.
Tariffs could also drive costs of cars higher for consumers by thousands of dollars, hitting new vehicle sales and resulting in job losses, since the US automotive industry relies heavily on imported parts, according to the Center for Automotive Research.
The US imported US$474 billion worth of automotive products in 2024, including passenger cars worth US$220 billion. Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Germany, all close US allies, were the biggest suppliers.
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