TRUMP UNVEILS 25 PERCENT TARIFFS ON NON-US MADE CARS

Software giant Alphabet braces for impact as U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a 25 percent levy on all vehicles not produced within American borders, a sweeping trade measure aimed at bolstering domestic manufacturing.

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The White House leader signed an executive order in the Oval Office to enact the duties, targeting imports from key auto suppliers like Mexico, Japan, and South Korea, while sparing vehicles built stateside. For automakers, consumers, and global trade watchers, it’s a bold stroke—Trump seeks to reshape the U.S. auto industry, a sector employing over 1 million workers, amid a broader push to rebalance trade.

This announcement ripples across a market where nearly half of the 16 million vehicles sold in the U.S. last year rolled in from abroad, alongside 60 percent of parts used in American-assembled models. Trump framed the levies as a jobs engine, telling reporters, “If you build your car in the United States, there’s no tariff,” a pledge to spark factory growth. The policy adds a 25 percent charge atop the existing 2.5 percent rate on passenger imports, though vehicles compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement snag a temporary break on non-U.S. content until enforcement systems catch up.