Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump expressed over the weekend that if elected to serve a second term in the White House, he’ll impose a tariff as high as 200 percent on cars and trucks imported to the United States from Mexico. “We’ll put a tariff of 200 percent on if we have to,” Trump said during a stump speech at a rally in Juneau, Wisconsin, according to Reuters. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not letting those cars come into the United States.” Trump’s Democrat opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, has made no such threat of additional tariffs on Mexico.
President Trump has previously pledged a 100-percent tariff on imported cars, but he’s considering doubling that number, likely to appeal to the American Midwest’s manufacturing sector. It’s unclear whether this proposed tariff would apply to all vehicles imported from Mexico or if domestic automakers would be exempt.
In previous speeches, including at the 2024 Republican National Convention, Trump has called out Chinese car companies for their plans to produce cars in Mexico, accusing them of setting their sights on the U.S. market. This rhetoric was likely aimed at BYD, which had plans to build a manufacturing facility in Mexico, but suspended those plans in September while the Chinese automaker awaits the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
General Motors imports an estimated 60,000-70,000 vehicles from Mexico to the U.S. annually, which accounts for a significant share of the company’s U.S. sales. The Ramos Arizpe plant builds and exports the Chevy Blazer, Chevy Blazer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Honda Prologue, and Cadillac Optiq. The Silao facility builds the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and the San Luis Potosà plant assembles the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.
Trump’s comments come amid aggressive tariffs from the United States, Canada, and the European Union on China. Although no Mexican car companies are trying to sell cars in the U.S., the North American country is becoming a political battleground for the fate of the region’s automotive industry.
