London — Following President Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on cars and car parts imported into the United States, America’s trading partners around the world have roundly condemned the policy. Mr. Trump said the tariffs will take effect on April 2, fueling a boom — he promised — in American economic growth.
He said there would be a transition period before Americans reap the benefits of his tariffs-led foreign and economic policy, but for the myriad nations that sell automobiles and components to the U.S., the impacts could be rapid, and devastating.
Below is a look at how some of America’s biggest auto industry trading partners have reacted to the latest tariffs announced by the White House.
Canada
The new tariffs would continue to upend decades of free trade between America’s nearest neighbors, including one of its largest trading partners overall, Canada.
“President Trump announced 25% tariffs against our auto industry, and this is a direct attack,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a news conference Wednesday.
“This will hurt us,” he said, adding that “Canadians as a whole across this country have gotten over the shock of the betrayal and are learning the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves and we have to look out for each other and work together for each other.”
The prime minister said Canada would respond to the measures with retaliatory tariffs, and that he expected to speak with Mr. Trump about the trade standoff.
Mexico
Mexico said Thursday that it was already working with the Trump administration to carve out an exemption for its auto industry in the wake of the president’s announcement.
The 25% tariffs Mr. Trump announced Wednesday do include some exemptions for vehicles and parts that fall under the existing USMCA free trade agreement between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said under that preexisting trade deal, “there shouldn’t be any tariffs, that is the essence of the commercial treaty.”
As she spoke, Mexico’s economy minister Marcelo Ebrard was in Washington, meeting with Trump administration officials.
“If we are going to a system of such high tariffs, what we have to seek is a preferential treatment for Mexico in a way that we have conditions that protect our jobs and economic activity,” Ebrard said in a video statement.
What consumers should know about President Trump’s tariff on foreign-made cars 01:49
Mexico exported around 2.5 million vehicles to the U.S. in 2024, the Reuters news agency said, citing S&P Global Mobility.
China
Beijing criticized the escalation in the trade war Thursday, with Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun telling reporters, “there are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and no country’s development and prosperity are achieved by imposing tariffs.”
Mr. Trump had hinted that China could be granted a reduction in the tariffs he’s imposed in exchange for a deal that would see the social media platform TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance sell the widely popular app to an American company.
“There are numerous ways you can buy TikTok, and we will find the one that’s best for the country,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday. “Maybe I’ll give them [China] a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done, you know, because every point in tariff is worth more money than TikTok.”
Under a national security law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Biden last year, ByteDance faces an April 5 deadline to find a non-Chinese buyer for TikTok, or the app will face a ban in the U.S.
Responding to Mr. Trump’s remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the suggestion on Thursday, saying: “China has made clear its position on the issue of TikTok many times, and its opposition to additional tariffs is also consistent and clear.”
Japan
Japan’s top government spokesperson, Yoshimasha Hayashi, called the newly announced tariffs “extremely regrettable” on Thursday, and he urged the U.S. to exempt the country from the measures.
Automobiles made up over 28% of Japan’s total exports to the U.S. in 2024 – the biggest Japanese export to America, according to Japanese Ministry of Finance data cited by Reuters.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, meanwhile, questioned the logic of Mr. Trump’s policy, citing the investment his country has made in the United States.
“Japan is a country that is making the largest amount of investment to the United States, so we wonder if it makes sense for [Washington] to apply uniform tariffs to all countries. That is a point we’ve been making, and will continue to do so,” he said Thursday.
South Korea
South Korea’s Interior Minister said Thursday that the country’s automotive industry would take a significant hit as a result of the new tariffs announced my Mr. Trump.
“About 50% of our automobile exports go to the United States, so there are concerns about significant damage to the auto industry,” Ahn Duk-Geun said at a news conference. “The difficulties will be especially severe for not only the finished car manufacturers, but also the parts suppliers.”
Europe
Key U.S. allies in Europe, and the continent’s auto industry, expressed concern over the new tariffs Thursday and urged Mr. Trump to reconsider.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen called the tariffs, “bad for businesses, worse for consumers, in the US and the EU.”
“The EU will continue to seek negotiated solutions, while safeguarding its economic interests,” she said in a post on social media.
Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck called for European strength and solidarity in response to the measures.
“The high US tariffs come as no surprise. We are prepared. What matters now is that the EU responds decisively to the tariff. It must be clear that we will not back down in the face of the US,” he said.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association — the main lobby group for the automobile industry in the EU — said it was deeply concerned by Mr. Trump’s announcement.
“European automakers have been investing in the US for decades, creating jobs, fostering economic growth in local communities, and generating massive tax revenue for the US government,” ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries said in a statement. “We urge President Trump to consider the negative impact of tariffs not only on global automakers but on US domestic manufacturing as well.”
In London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Mr. Trump’s auto tariffs “very concerning,” but said the U.K. would not rush “into a trade war” with the United States and would continue with “intense discussions” to strike a broad trade agreement with Washington.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, the cabinet minister in charge of the economy, said in an interview Thursday that the British government would lobby the White House to carve out an exemption for U.K. automakers.
“Our two economies are so closely intertwined,” she said. “I believe, and we make this case to the United States, that free trade, fair trade, is good for both of our countries. But let’s see where we get to in the next few days.”
Emmet Lyons is a news desk editor at the CBS News London bureau, coordinating and producing stories for all CBS News platforms. Prior to joining CBS News, Emmet worked as a producer at CNN for four years.
