Europe lashes out over Trump auto tariffs and the economic threat to both continents
Opel cars are parked on the ground of the Opel car factory in Ruesselsheim near Frankfurt, Germany on Thursday. Credit: AP/Michael Probst
FRANKFURT, Germany — European automakers, already struggling with tepid economic growth at home and rising competition from China, on Thursday decried the U.S. import tax on cars as a heavy burden that will punish consumers and companies alike on both sides of the Atlantic.
The new 25% import tax announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday “will hurt global automakers and US manufacturing at the same time," the European Automobile Manufacturers' association said in a statement.
The head of Germany’s auto industry association, VDA, said the tariffs would weigh on car makers and every company in the deeply interwoven global supply chain "with negative consequences above all for consumers, including in North America.”
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