Categories: Business

Trump administration mulls stiffer rules for imported cars

WASHINGTON (Reuters): The Trump administration is considering ways to require imported automobiles to meet stricter environmental standards in order to protect U.S. carmakers, according to two sources familiar with the administration’s thinking.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump “will promote free, fair and reciprocal trade practices to grow the U.S. economy and continue to (bring) jobs and manufacturers back to the U.S.”

Two U.S. automotive executives said Friday they believed the idea had been floated in White House talks last week by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, but said the auto industry had not asked for the changes or backed them.

A Commerce Department spokesman referred a Reuters request for comment back to the White House, which has not responded.

U.S. automakers have long urged removal of non-tariff barriers in Japan, South Korea and other markets that they believe unfairly hinder U.S. exports. There are also concerns that any new non-tariff U.S. barriers could violate WTO rules.

The story was first reported Friday by the Wall Street Journal. Citing unnamed senior administration and industry officials, the Journal said Trump had asked several agencies to pursue plans to use existing laws to subject foreign-made cars to stiff emission standards.

It appears such non-tariff barriers could have a greater potential effect proportionately on European automakers, which collectively import a greater percentage of cars from plants outside the United States, according to sales figures from Autodata.

In comparison, Japanese and Korean brands made about 70 percent of the vehicles they sold last year in the United States at North American plants. European brands built only 30 percent in North America.

Foreign automakers operate 17 assembly plants in the United States, 12 of which are owned by Asian manufacturers. Virtually all of those are non-union plants, many of them in southern states.

Imported vehicles accounted for about 21 percent of the 17.2 million sold last year in the United States, according to Autodata.

The White House initiative was still in the planning stage, with officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working to craft a legal justification for the policy, the paper said.

The EPA and the Commerce Department, which the newspaper said was also involved in the effort, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Neither did representatives for Ford Motor Co and General Motors, nor for the United Auto Workers union, which represents workers at those automakers.

 

The Frontier Post

Recent Posts

Food supplies in southern Gaza at risk, says UN official

GAZA (Reuters) : Supplies of food to southern Gaza are at risk after Israel extended…

16 hours ago

Britain’s Kate says she is making good progress with cancer treatment, will attend event

LONDON (Reuters): Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, has said she is making good progress as…

16 hours ago

Italy arrests suspect over flight of Russian wanted in US

ROME (AP/AFP) : Italy arrested on Friday a suspect accused of helping a Russian governor’s…

16 hours ago

LHC CJ: Establishment’s meddling in judicial affairs to end soon

F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: Outgoing Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan has said…

16 hours ago

Pakistan’s weak debt affordability drives ‘high debt sustainability risks’: Moody

ISLAMABAD: Global rating agency Moody’s on Friday said that the country’s weak debt affordability drives…

16 hours ago

Mazdoor Card, Kisan Card a revolutionary step of Sindh govt

F.P. Report KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has stated that the Mazdoor Card…

16 hours ago

This website uses cookies.