Global automakers await Trump car tariff decision – By Al Jazeera Staff (Al Jazeera) / Nov 15 2019
Company executives and government officials in the US and EU have said a six-month delay on import taxes is likely.
Automakers around the world are awaiting a decision from United States President Donald Trump on whether he will impose up to 25 percent tariffs on US car and auto part imports after a 180-day review period elapsed this week.
Trump was briefed ahead of the expiry of the self-imposed deadline, which he set in May, to decide whether to again extend a review or impose tariffs that automakers have warned could cost jobs and dramatically boost vehicle prices.
“I’ll make a decision fairly soon,” Trump said on Wednesday. “I was fully briefed.”
Officials from major automakers told the Reuters news agency they believe Trump will not impose new levies on vehicles from the European Union, Japan or elsewhere – amid a trade war with China.
The Trump administration first launched its probe of foreign autos in May 2018. Then, six months ago, Trump agreed with an administration study that some imported cars and trucks are “weakening our internal economy” and threatening to harm national security. But that report stopped short of naming specific vehicles.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel stands next to Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius at the Frankfurt Motor Show [File: Ralph Orlowski/Reuters]
