1 May ko, Donald Trump ne Europe ko ek or shock dene ka decision liya, ek or example unke itne bade ego ka, jo maybe unke country ke history mein bane V8 engines se bhi zyada ho.
Jis din EU-Mercosur agreement officially start hua, usi din unhone apni taraf se bina kisi se pooche EU goods par tariffs 15% se increase ho kar direct 25% kar diye.
Iska automotive sector par kaafi bada or potentially dangerous impact ho sakta hai. Yeh 15% tariff already sabhi manufacturers ke lye life bahut difficult bana chuka hai, especially German companies jaise BMW Group (even though unke Mexico mein plants hai) or Volkswagen Group ke liye. Porsche ki financial situation par toh iska or bhi zyada pressure pada hai.
Ab agar existing tariffs ke above or 66% ka increase ho gaya, so companies par jo burden padega woh literally bahut hi devasting level ka ho sakta hai.
Donald Trump increases EU tariffs to 25%
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Washington or Brussels ke between jo trade agreement hai, woh abhi tak final nahi hua hai, because legal formalities abhi bhi pending hai. But in between tensions phir se increase hone lage, especially us time jab European Parliament or EU Council dono ko final documents approve karne hai. European Parliament ki Trade Committee ke chairman Bernd Lange ka kehna hai ki EU apni taraf se saari commitments fullfill kar raha hai, but United States apne promises par khara nahi utar raha.
Yeh clear hai ki EU Trump ke interests ke saamne jhukne wala nahi hai, because unka ek basic principal hai ki woh hamesha pehle EU ke khud ke interests, especially economic interests ko priority dete hai, politics se bhi pehle. last weak European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic ne US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ke saath ek agreement sign kiya tha, jiska aim China par raw materials ke liye dependency reduce karna hai, jaise El Paris ne report kiya.
Their aim is to shift their manufacturing to the US
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Trump nr ek cheez specially highlight ki, jo European car manufacturers already US mein production kar rahe hai, jaise Mercedes Benz, Stellantis or Volvo Cars or saath hi Volkswagen jo apna Scout brand launch karne ki preparation kar raha hai, unhe tariffs nahi dene padenge. Basically, Trump ka signal kaafi clear tha, jaise neon lights ya airport beacons ki tarah, agar European brands US mein cars export karte rehna chahte hai without any extra tariffs, so unhe local manufacturing start kar deni chahiye.
Actually, yaad karo ki apne current term ki starting mein hi unhone Ola Kallenius or Mercedes Benz ko Germany se operations shift karke US lane ke liye attract karne ki koshish ki thi. But lagta hai ki CEO Ola Kallenius ne is baat ko kabhi seriously liya hi nahi. Bas ek or whim thi, bilkul waise hi jaise recently Charles III ki visit ke baad Scotch whisky par tariffs eliminate karne wali baat.
Spain is affected, though less than before
So iska Spain ke automotive sector par kya effect padega? Kuch years pehle hota toh iska direct impact dikhta, but 2023 ke baad se toh Almussafes plat se manufactured hone wali Ford cars export hui hai or na hi Vitoria factory ki Mercedes Benz vans. Ford ke case mein, Almussafes ne yeh step isliye liya because unhe new models allocate nahi kiye gaye the. Woh basically sirf Kuga bana rahe the jab tak Focus ka replacement nahi aa jata, ek tarah ka Bronco style SUV, jo American version se kaafi different hoga.
CUPRA abhi United States mein apni cars sell nahi karti, but company ka plan hai ki decade ke end hone se pehle wahan entry kar le. But isi tarah ke decisions long term plans or initiatives par direct impact daalte hai. Spain ke kaafi parts manufacturers ya toh directly United States ko materials export karte hai, ya phir other countries ko supply karte hai jo baad mein products ko United States import karte hai.
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Germany exported cars worth 21.101 billion in 2024
U.S. Department of Commerce ke data ke according, Germany ne 2024 mein America mein around €21.101 billion ki cars sell ki thi, but us time conditions kaafi different thi. Agar 25% tariff lagta hai, so yeh car manufacturers ke liye almost utna hi bada shock hoga jitna European ke CAFE emission limits cross karna hota hai (2025 se 2027 ke between average 93 g CO2/km). Bas difference itna hai ki wahan fine dena padta hai, or yahan yeh extra cost permanently bear karni padegi.