German automaker Mercedes-Benz has referred to as for each Europe and america to abolish tariffs on automobile imports, as US President Donald Trump threatens to hike duties on EU items.
Ola Kallenius, head of the German premium carmaker, stated in an interview revealed Thursday that the EU levies a tariff of 10 % on vehicles imported from America, whereas america has an obligation of simply 2.5 % on autos from the bloc.
“Let’s decrease these tariffs on each side to zero,” he instructed the Handelsblatt enterprise day by day.
“That might be reciprocity and that will create development as a substitute of stifling it,” he stated, including that export-dependent European industries wanted free commerce greater than their American counterparts.
“Europe has extra curiosity than anybody else in making certain that world markets stay open and there’s a honest framework for worldwide commerce,” he stated.
Trump has threatened to hit merchandise from the 27-nation EU with 25 % tariffs and has signed plans for sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” that would hit each allies and adversaries from April 2.
US tariffs on imported vehicles will create a significant headache for Mercedes and different European producers, as lots of the autos they promote in america are imported.
Kallenius stated Mercedes had been “producing on a big scale in america for years”, however stated the carmaker was additionally making ready for the US duties.
“We’re listening to the procurement of every element, the logistics, the worth and plenty of different components,” he stated.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
