Trump Says Auto Tariffs Are Coming in April
February 18, 2025
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9:23Now PlayingTrump Says Auto Tariffs Are Coming in April
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as posted by the channelToday on Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power, hosts Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz interviewed John Bozzella from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation about the potential impact of tariffs on the auto industry.
President Donald Trump said he would unveil new tariffs on automobiles, adding to a wave of sweeping import levies as he seeks to remake global trade relationships and pressure companies to move production to the US.
“We are going to do that on around April 2,” Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office, as he signed an executive order on energy policy.
The move is the latest in a rapidly widening trade war as Trump delivers on his campaign pledges to institute sweeping tariffs on US allies and rivals alike. It comes a day after Trump unveiled his most expansive measure yet, ordering his administration to develop plans for imposing reciprocal tariffs on numerous trading partners, an effort to address what he says is a system that is tilted against the US.
The reciprocal levies on nations that have import taxes on US goods could come as soon as April. Those levies are distinct from the sectoral tariffs Trump promised on autos and has threatened against other industries, including energy, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. Earlier this week, he also announced plans to slap 25% duties on steel and aluminum imports.
The auto threat offers to put some of the biggest brands in Japan, Germany and South Korea in Trump’s crosshairs. Imports accounted for roughly half of the US auto market last year. About 80% of Volkswagen AG’s US sales are imported, while 65% of Hyundai-Kia’s US sales are imported, according to figures from Global Data, a market researcher.
Trump on Friday did not provide any details on the scope or rate of the potential auto levies. It is also unclear the impact they would have on vehicles built under a free trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico, which Trump renegotiated during his first term. Auto production supply chains across North America are highly integrated.
Industry trade groups have warned of price hikes and supply-chain damage from tariffs, but signaled they would wait and see what specific levies the Trump administration has planned. Autos Drive America, which lobbies for foreign-owned carmakers, had no immediate comment and the American Automotive Policy Council, which speaks on behalf of Detroit’s automakers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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