A previously confidential Trump Administration report outlining security threats posed by imported automobiles has now been released by the U.S. Commerce Department, as first reported by Reuters.
The report was the basis for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that imported vehicles were a threat to America’s national security. Trump had threatened to place a 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles and auto parts, although the tariffs were never actually put in place.
The partially redacted report indicated that “significant import penetration over the course of the past three decades,” had weakened the U.S. automotive industry. This, the report said, has jeopardized U.S. military leadership and the military’s ability “to fulfill America’s defense requirements,” thereby making imported automobiles a national security threat.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey was behind legislation that mandated the release of the Trump-era report, which the former president had refused to share publicly. Toomey told Reuters in a statement that “the justification for these tariffs was so entirely unfounded that even the authors were too embarrassed to let it see the light of day.”
The report also identified the automakers the Trump Administration viewed as American-owned. This included General Motors, Ford and Tesla, with Chrysler excluded. Chrysler and its sub-brands, which include Jeep, Dodge and Ram, were previously bought out by Italian conglomerate Fiat, which has since merged with French auto giant Groupe PSA to form Stellantis N.V. Stellantis is currently headquartered in the Netherlands.
While the Biden Administration has reversed course on the proposed Trump-era tariffs, it is still emphasizing the importance of American-made vehicles. President Joe Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan includes funding for point of sale rebates and tax incentives for EV, however EVs must be made-in-America in order to qualify for the rebates and incentives.
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Comments
Look at this non politically and anyone can see we have lost the mfg ability we held during WW2 that made all the difference against Germany.
We lack the capacity and companies to pull off what we once did.
Ford build planes at willow run, GM built tanks in Cleveland etc. Even Goodyear tire built the FU4 G Corsair fighters,
What is more embarrassing is countries like Japan and other put tariffs on our cars and products making it difficult to import our vehicles to their country.
If nothing is done we will see more cars from China in the future and a continued drop in production in this country. We will be the next UK.
C8.R: When I was in Japan years ago, I noticed how there were just no American brand vehicles on the streets. I inquired about that with the family I was staying with and was told that the Japanese people don’t buy American brands for two basic reasons. First and most important was because the costs. When I asked what made them so costly, I was told because the Japanese govt. places such high taxes on American cars in order to make them to expensive to buy. The second reason was because (again, according to Japanese people living in Japan!!) the Japanese are fiercely loyal to their country and anything they do. BTW, when I was still in Japan at that time, I confirmed what I was told through several more sources. So I know it was true.
What a stark difference from the USA where people here couldn’t give a s–t about things and they buy up all these import brands like it’s a status thing. If the USA placed comparable tariffs on Japanese brand vehicles like they do to ours, a Corolla would cost you more than $30,000 for the base model. Think on that for a bit.
I will NEVER put or allow ANY Japanese brand car in my driveway or garage.
You are correct on the tax. It is noting new and few in DC are willing to address it.
Many in Japan are loyal but the youth in japan love culture and things from America. Many buy Camaro’s from Military people there. They love Astro vans and Caprice wagons too.
American cars will never dominate there as the Japanese people are nationalistic unlike Americans but we could at least do better with equal footing.
I deal with many in Asia with American cars as well as Europe, They struggle and may a great price to get these cars but they love them.
Right, but you’re happy to sell their stuff aren’t you?
Criminal Clinton: If your comment is for me, the answer is NO. I hate selling Mazda’s just like I hated selling Honda’s. You can see a better explanation in another post of mine.
Ironically in pre-WW2 Japan American cars were pretty popular, especially Buicks.
Dan, pretty much everything you say in all of your comments relating to this post is accurate and you manage to make the Buy American argument without getting political. If only more Americans shared your attitudes, the whole country would be in much better shape. Mystifying how so few understand what is basic logic. Basic survival. Thanks for keeping the faith.
100% fair trade is reciprocal. If the Germans want a 50% tariff on American cars, we should place a 50% tarrif on all German cars. You want access to american markets? Play fair! It’s not about nationalism, it’s about STOP SCREWING US!
UK did it though social/nepotism act of combination of their industry in the ’60s to create British Leyland then Margaret Thatcher’s selling off of BL after they made a profit in the ’80s.
C8.r
You are 100% right. 2 reasons US won ww2 manufacturing and the pride that was in people with there work. Which I don’t see at work these days. I blame laziness of the workers and greed of the elite.. oh and the politicians who sold the people out
All you have to do is read the recent gmauthority article regarding Toyota outselling GM in the United States to see that something clearly needs to be done to level the playing field.
The Toyota situation has more to do with how Toyota was prepared with excess chip inventory because of the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami. Basically, their past experience caused them to inventory parts that were sole-sourced. Basically, Toyota’s preparedness helped them in the short run, but they are starting to have chip issues as well.
That inventory can also be their Achilles heel as automakers are transitioning to EV’s.
how about making better products?
steve: I assume you are speaking about Toyota?
Why do you come on this site? Go to a Japanese brand fan-boy site.
i come here for the free lunch.
Truckz: One thing about Toyota is that they will count anything sold with a Toyota engine as a sale. Now admittedly, this was about 10 years ago that I read this in Automotive News (a publication mostly just for dealers). So I can’t confirm if this is still the case. But in that article back then, they used an example of Toyota counting as a sale the forklifts that are sold with the Toyota name and engine on them. That would be like Honda counting all the portable generators that are sold with the Honda name and including those numbers with the cars. I don’t know if Honda does that, but I know for fact that Toyota used to and most likely still does that in their numbers.
Toyota and nearly all the Japanese brands are just so dirty and slimy in how they do business. Like the old saying in Japan goes: “If it stinks, put a lid on it.” Hide it all in other words and just keep selling no matter the costs.
but you work for a mazda dealership don’t you?
so you work at a place that you despise. you know what that makes you? someone’s bytch.
grow a pair of balls and quit.
Yes steve (small S). I do work for a dealership in the fleet department that happens to sell both Mazda and Volvo. As I’ve addressed this before. I live in California where buying an American product is not common. I tried at both a Cadillac store and a Chevy store out here and was starving. So I made a choice to work with a product that sells where I live. But my position is much different from a sales position. And yes, I finally broke down and leased a Volvo S60 T8 that sits along side my Cadillac CT4. Chances are when this lease is up, I won’t go back with another Volvo.
But overall, I’ll just say this: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! What better place to do that than at a Mazda (Japanese brand) store?
so you are working undercover and passing valuable information back to gm headquarters?
talk about delusional!!!
No small steve. You really can be an idiot at times. But oh well. I wouldn’t expect anything different from a porter at the Toyota store.
Since you can’t figure out what I was saying, here it is in plain terms. I work at a dealership that has been quite good to me and for my boss who takes very good care of me. I don’t sell as our sales are through brokers who come to us. These are people who intend to purchase that product no matter who is in my position. But rest assured, if anyone asks my opinion about the Mazda products, I tell them the truth and I suggest they look at something from an American brand every chance I get.
But the nice thing about when I sold Honda’s all those years and now working at a store with Mazda is that I get to see first hand just how much better the GM products really are.
I thought Mazda was owned by Ford, or at least closely tied to them.
Mazda was owned by Ford, but they sold back to Mazda years ago. Now Mazda is getting into bed with Toyota. Just another reason why I will never buy one.
Yeah, those German and Japanese brands we rebuilt after WW2 off taxpayer dollars, then let commies convince us into overtaxing and over regulating our industry.
corporate taxes were a lot higher after ww2 than they are today.
You are clueless if you believe any of that, which you clearly do.
How uneducated on history so many are is just sad.
An exception is not a trend, especially a .1% exception. But it’s typical of those wanting to be the loudest voice to claim that one exception indicates that everything is wrong.
Japan and Germany lost the war due to lack of capacity and resources. They just could not keep up with us. Hitler knew the war was lost if we entered the war.
Today we are crippled by the lack of chips. Also look at the delays and back orders on other things.
Tires for my tractor are 4 month out.
we’ve lost the vietnam war, afghanistan war, and the iraq war and i guarantee you, it wasn’t due to capacity issues.
In the same time did Russia invade Europe?.
so what are you saying ??? america’s decline in manufacturing defeated communism???
No, but nobody is bad enough to take us on and that isn’t a capacity issue.
don’t you mean nobody is bad enough to take us on except the vietnamese, afghanis and iraqis?
Again, what nation is bad enough to take us on and take on NATO?. Because we lose a war makes a nation weak?. Russia lost Iran and Afghanistan also, are they weak?.
the taliban in afghanistan took on us, nato and won.
Obviously you not (or don’t want to) getting the hint, as said it’s no one badazzz to take the US/Nato on it’s turf.
We have reach mutual destruction levels with Russia but with other wars like in the Middle East they a war like that it’s more conventional,
A problem now is Iran is basing weapons in Venezuela and could create uses here too,
Wars today are on many levels and include economic, Weapons and strategic abilities.
Even now aa we leave Afghanistan, Russia is upset that they now may be face with Taliban issues on their southern boarders. They will not nuke em but they will be faced with dealing with them and it will take men and equipment to do it.
The USSR once shared a border with Afghanistan, but Russia’s borders today are much smaller with former USSR territories such as Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan offering a comfortable buffer between the Taliban and Russia.
We won the Iraq war. Just FYI. What is your definition of victory in Iraq? We built a democracy, in 2010 they had their first election, and every 4 years since. Women now have the right to own stores in bagdad, and in 2015 the Iraqi army held the line and started pushing back against the largest organized terrorist group in history. They are free. Isn’t that the victory we wanted? The current anti American crowd that is burning down our cities are claiming we lost because america can never do anything good in their view. I ment a Spaniard who claimed it was Russia not america who defeated Hitler and believed that without america, Hitler would have failed regardless. History is just how the stories. Are written, not what actually transpired.
Did I name those wars? No because it has nothing to do with this topic.
except you are trying to make a link between manufacturing capacity and security. you should re-read what you wrote.
Fighting a global power is different today vs fighting a regional conflict. If a war in Iraq has dragged on longer we would have face a lack of weapons and equipment.
The fact is you still need the ability to produce weapons and the tools of war. A smaller group like the Taliban will try to out last you vs beat you, That takes time, money and equipment. To beat them you need to wipe them out but no one is willing to do so.
sure general.
We lost irag????
iran controls iraq now.
We can see whose side Toomy is on and who’s buttering his bread.
Toomey told Reuters in a statement that “the justification for these tariffs was so entirely unfounded that even the authors were too embarrassed to let it see the light of day.”
sums up trump’s presidency. an embarrassment.
If Trump had followed through on his vow it would have been the biggest accomplishment of his presidency.
instead, 500K dead and jan.6th are his biggest accomplishments.
You’re really stupid aren’t you….
i prefer stable genius!!!!
Dan, one of your vehicles is made by a Chinese-owned company! Our economic problems aren’t with Japan anymore, but China. Just check the made in tag at your local Wal Mart or Target, yet the American public continues to scoop up those products. We have met the enemy and it is us!
Martin: I would agree with you 100%.
GM got a bailout in 2008 when we crashed here in America, what did they do they closed plants here. the cars are now built in Mexico Brazil China South Korea . The new Cavalier is not sold in America and the new compact truck Maverick unless you pay duties to ship here which will add thousands of dollars to the cost. They are sold cheaper overseas but not in America
In Japan and Europe there’s no room to park american cars. That’s why they aren’t big sellers there. In France my 1995 Geo metro is a big car.
I know of at least one Ram pickup and one Chevy Avalanche doing just fine in Limburg, NL. Extroverts?
Daniel: I was in Japan. Yes, they do have less room and some streets can be narrow, but that can be seen all over the USA as well. It was not unusual to be walking down the street in Japan and to see large MB, BMW’s and larger Toyota vehicles (Crown, Century, etc) parked and/or driving. I can’t say for European countries or cities as I’ve never been there. But in Japan, using that excuse is just that. An excuse.
Toyota belongs to the Mitsui Keiretsu, the most prestigious in Japan. Other participants in this circle include of course Mitsui Bank and the Japanese Gov’t. Toyota pays little in the way of taxes or interest in loans. R & D is also funded (and shared) with other members of the circle and Toyota owned subsidiaries. The Japanese Gov’t is an active contributor to Toyota, and, is an equity participant. There is no distinction between Gov’t and Industry in Japan. They view our failure to protect our automobile industry as stupid, and absurdly Western,
President Trump is an extremely savvy business man. All he did was take a page out of Miti;s book. Interestingly, Miti holds President Trump in high regard.
Before you purchase an Asian car, take a drive thru downtown Detroit, our former Motor City.
We do it to ourselves, we do. And that’s what really hurts…