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Tariffs on car parts entering the US come into force

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Getty Images Vehicles are parked on car carrier trailers ready for distribution at a vehicle processing lot at the National City Marine Terminal, a major port for vehicle imports and exports, particularly for new foreign cars entering the United States on April 26, 2025 in National City, CaliforniaGetty Images

A 25% import tax on engines, transmissions and other key car parts has come into force in the US, raising pressure on an industry finding its way through a thicket of policy changes.

The new tariff comes days after Donald Trump eased the measure in response to business worries, but did not eliminate it.

The US president has said the new tariff, along with a 25% import tax on cars that went into effect last month, is intended to push carmakers to do more manufacturing in the US.

But analysts said any immediate expansions in the US were likely to come at the expense of production elsewhere, while also leading to higher costs for the businesses – and ultimately higher prices for customers.

For now, companies have been shielded from pain, as concerns about price hikes have prompted a sales surge.

General Motors and Ford this week reported double digit sales growth continuing in April.

But GM also warned it expected as much as $5bn (£3.7bn) in new costs this year as a result of the tariffs, including roughly $2bn in charges on cars it makes in South Korea and exports to the US.

Executives said they now expected prices to rise roughly 1%, instead of falling as previously forecast.

In a sign of the turmoil, other car companies, including Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Fiat and Chrysler, withdrew financial guidance for the year ahead, citing the fluidity of the situation.

“We remain subject to extreme uncertainties,” Stellantis chief financial officer Doug Ostermann told analysts this week.

Nearly half of vehicles sold in the US last year were imported from outside the country.

When Trump announced plans in March to hit cars and certain car parts with 25% tariffs, an announcement that came amid a bevy of other tariffs, it sent shockwaves through the industry, drawing warnings of higher prices and risks to production and sales.

The president has since softened his policies, especially regarding Mexico and Canada – key parts of the industry’s supply chain, due to decades of free trade between the three countries.

As it stands currently, parts made in Mexico and Canada in compliance with that free trade agreement will be spared the duties. Officials had initially described that exemption as temporary, but after customs instructions issued this week analysts said it now appeared likely to stick.

Trump this week also signed measures to shield firms from facing multiple tariffs on the same item, while setting up a two-year system carmakers can use to reduce the duties they have to pay on parts imported from other countries and used in US-assembled cars.

The administration had also already said firms importing cars made in Canada and Mexico would not be charged tariffs on US-made content.

“The changes that have come in the last couple of days are going to make it easier … but even so it’s still a dramatic change to the market,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “It’s still a big tariff.”

Executives at some firms have said they are exploring ways to increase production in the US to mitigate the new costs.

General Motors said it had expanded truck production at its factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by about 50,000 as a result of the tariffs. This week it also said it would cut back output in Canada.

Mercedes also said it had flexibility to expand at its factory in Alabama.

Art Wheaton, director of Labor Studies at Cornell University, said the US might see more such announcements in the months ahead, but he did not expect to see new factories getting built anytime soon, given the significance of that investment and how fast the situation is changing.

“If I’m going to make a multi-billion dollar decision… I wouldn’t do it in a market that is this unstable,” he said.

The administration has said it is working on trade deals with key countries for the industry, including South Korea and Japan.

Trump might also modify his policies if signs of economic damage start to emerge, Mr Wheaton said.

“Everything is pretty good now,” he said. “I don’t think the full impact of those tariffs has hit yet.”

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Trump threatens tariffs on Apple iPhones and EU products

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US President Donald Trump has said he is recommending a 50% tariff on all goods from the European Union being imported to the United States.

“Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” he wrote in a post on social media on Friday. He said the new tariffs will kick in on 1 June.

The announcement marks an escalation of Trump’s trade war with the EU. He initially proposed a 20% tariff on most EU goods, but halved it to 10% until 8 July to allow time for talks.

The president also threatened to impose a 25% import tax “at least” on iPhones not manufactured in America.

“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump said.

“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”

Since re-entering the White House, Trump has imposed and threatened various tariffs on countries around the world, which he sees as a way of boosting US manufacturing and protecting jobs from foreign competition.

A tariff is a domestic tax levied on goods as they enter a country, proportional to the value of the import and it is paid by the business importing them.

The prospect of higher tariffs being introduced on imports to the US has rattled many world leaders because it will make it more expensive and difficult for businesses to sell goods in the world’s largest economy.

On Friday, Trump said the EU had been “very difficult to deal with”.

“Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” he added.

Trump said there would be no tariff charged if the product was “built or manufactured in the United States”.

The president has slapped tariffs on imports from the EU to the US in a bid to address his country’s long-standing trade deficit with the bloc, which occurs when a country imports more than it exports.

According to US government figures, exports to the EU last year were $370.2bn, while goods coming the other way were $605.8bn.

Trump has repeatedly complained about the EU’s car exports, particularly from Germany, to the US, with fewer vehicles being shipped the other way.

The EU has not commented on the latest announcement.

Trump’s warning to Apple comes after the tech giant said it was shifting production of most of its iPhones and other devices destined to be sold in the US away from China.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said earlier this month that the majority of the iPhones bound for the US market in the coming months are to be made in India, while Vietnam will be a major production hub for items like iPads and Apple Watches.

All three of Europe’s main stock markets, including the UK’s FTSE 100, were down in Friday afternoon trading.

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Nike to raise prices as firms face tariffs uncertainty

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Nike is set to raise prices on some trainers and clothing in the US from early June, weeks after rival Adidas warned it would have to hike the cost of products due to tariffs.

The sportswear giant did not name US tariffs explicitly as a reason for the increase, saying it regularly made “price adjustments”.

Almost all of Nike’s goods are made in Asia – a region targeted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US has paused higher so-called “reciprocal” tariffs until July, but a “base” levy of 10% remains in place against a long list of countries.

Tariffs are almost always paid by the company that is importing the goods into a country rather than the business which makes the product.

While importers can decide to absorb the extra tax, they may also choose to pass it on to the consumer.

From Sunday, 1 June, most Nike shoes that cost more than $100 (£74.50) will see prices rise by as much as $10.

Prices of clothing and equipment will also be raised by between $2 to $10.

Commenting on the price rises, Nike said: “We regularly evaluate our business and make pricing adjustments as part of our seasonal planning.”

In a call with investors in March, Nike’s finance chief Matt Friend said that the company was “navigating through several external factors that create uncertainty in the current operating environment” including tariffs.

He also said Nike was monitoring “the impact of this uncertainty and other macro factors on consumer confidence”.

Nike’s popular Air Force 1 trainers, as well as shoes that cost less than $100, will be exempted from the price hikes. Children’s products and Jordan branded apparel and accessories will also be excluded.

Last month, Adidas said that levies imposed by Trump would lead to higher prices in the US for popular trainers including the Gazelle and Samba.

On Wednesday, UK sportswear retailer JD Sports said higher prices in its key US market due to tariffs could hit customer demand.

Companies around the world are contending with the uncertainty of the Trump administration’s trade policies.

A slew of steep “reciprocal” tariffs, which were announced on 2 April, were put on hold as countries from around the world negotiate with the White House.

Goods from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and China – countries that make shoes for US companies – are set to face some of the heaviest US import taxes of between 32% to 54%.

The 90-day pause is due to expire in early July, but the base 10% tariff remains in place.

Vietnam is by far the biggest manufacturer of Nike goods. In its last full financial year, the company said factories in Vietnam produced 50% of all its footwear and 26% of its clothing.

Companies in China, Indonesia and Cambodia also make products for Nike.

Manufacturing for overseas businesses is a key sector for Vietnam and Trump placed one of the highest reciprocal tariffs on the country at 46%.

This week, the US president’s son, Eric, is visiting Vietnam days after the country’s government approved a plan by the Trump Organisation and local business Kinh Bac City Development to invest $1.5bn in hotels, golf courses and luxury real estate.

The Trump Organisation is also scouting for locations to build a Trump Tower in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nike also said it would sell products directly to Amazon in the US for the first time since 2019.

Nike had previously listed its goods on the platform, but stopped six years ago to focus on its official website and physical stores as part of a strategy by its then chief executive John Donahoe.

However, Nike’s online sales have been falling.

In its most recent results for the three months to the end of February, digital sales tumbled across all the regions where Nike sells its goods, with Europe, the Middle East and Africa showing the sharpest drop of 25% while Greater China recorded a 20% fall.

The company’s overall revenue has been declining and late last year Nike brought back Elliott Hill, a former senior executive, to takeover running the business from Mr Donahoe.

Mr Hill is now conducting a turnaround of Nike which will focus on the UK, the US and China.

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Government takes aim at multiple parking app ‘hassle’

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The government has announced a “one app fits all” approach to paying for parking, to end what it calls the “scramble” to download multiple payment platforms that motorists currently face.

Soon, drivers will be able to use any of the large parking apps to pay, rather than having to download new ones for each new car park, the Department for Transport says.

The National Parking Platform (NPP) has been in trial phase, but will now be handed over an industry body to be expanded across the country – though only to car parks which opt to sign up.

Motorist’s association the RAC welcomed the move but said it needed to be taken on by many more car parks before it made a real difference to drivers.

“Paying to park a car should be one of the simplest things any driver does, but things have got much more complicated in recent years”, RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said.

“If the arrival of a National Parking Platform removes that hassle, it’s definitely a welcome move,” he added.

“But the key will be ensuring as many car park operators as possible sign up to the system.”

Under the NPP, drivers can use any of the main parking apps in any car park which is signed up to the scheme.

This means, for example, a car park which uses the Ringo app would also accept payments from the JustPark app.

The government said this would end the “scramble to download multiple apps and encouraging a more flexible parking experience”.

The trial period included 10 local authorities in England, and more than half a million transactions were made during it, according to the government.

It says the NPP “will be onboarding more local authorities imminently”.

NPP literature also says it is open to local authorities and private parking providers across the UK.

The running of the scheme has now been passed from the government to the British Parking Association, (BPA) which represents the parking sector.

“Today’s announcement marks the result of six years of dedicated work by our parking sector to make paying for parking easier,” said its boss, Andrew Pester.

“We’ve strongly supported the National Parking Platform from the start, so we’re thrilled with this outcome.”

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