Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes are facing a real challenge: US President Donald Trump has taken it seriously and Tariffs of 25% on car imports from Europe.
This means: Germany's most important industrial sector loses one of its largest sales markets – the USA. Germany is by far the largest car exporter to the United States within the EU.
Trump's car tariffs
And this is precisely where the so-called "Liberation Day" is taking full effect. In addition to complete vehicles, important car parts be subject to the same punitive tariffs, as official US documents show. This creates uncertainty – but also has concrete economic consequences.
Billions in burden for German manufacturers
According to an analysis by the management consultancy Deloitte A tariff rate of 15% would have led to a decline in exports of about 20%. At 30%, the decline would have been as much as 33%. The current tariffs 25% will accordingly also leave a big markWhat's particularly bitter is that the industry is already going through a difficult phase.
Profit slumps in Europe and China, job cuts and Plant closures have been putting pressure on corporations for months. Harald Proff, automotive expert at Deloitte, sums it up: "High trade barriers against the world's largest economy are massively exacerbating the situation."
Analysts expect up to 11 billion euros in additional costs
The assessment of the US analysis house is even more drastic Amber The experts assume that the three major Manufacturers through Trump's measures with additional costs of around 11 billion euros – a severe blow to profit margins that are already under pressure. If the tariffs remain in place long-term, the air will become even thinner.
Corporate headquarters are noticeably silent when it comes to reacting to the tariffs. The reason: fear of further measures from Washington. If the tariffs are passed on to end customers, for example through price increases, this could lead to further escalations. A manager who wished to remain anonymous said: "We have to wait and be very cautious."
A time of uncertainty
What will happen now is difficult to predict. The only thing that is clear is: The US export market is no longer a growth driver for the time being. Manufacturers must focus on new sales strategies to offset the impending losses.
And this at a time when everything is already focused on transformation – from electrification to software development. All further information can be found in the video. Image and video credits/source: Manufacturer/tuning blog | This content was created using AI and reviewed by an editor.
