The air is tense between the European Union and the United States, and this time it is not a matter of diplomacy, but of Steel, batteries and electric motors. The decision of the Trump Administration – or, to better say, yet another electoral promise returned to the fore – to introduce new duties also on European electric cars He risks becoming the detonator of a commercial war to the detriment of both blocks. But to pay the highest price, at least in the short term, it could be the European car industry.
In recent years, the electric car market has known exponential growth in Europe, driven by green policies, government incentives and growing environmental awareness of consumers. Parallel, The car manufacturers of the Old Continent have intensified exports to the United States: In 2024 it was estimated that over 750,000 European vehicles were sold overseaslargely hybrid or electric.
However, the new duties threaten to turn this balance upside down. Tariff barriers would make European vehicles less competitive on the US market, affecting in particular the high -end electrical and hybrid models, such as those produced by BMWVolkswagen e Mercedes-Benz.
Dialogue or clash?
In this complex scenario, the request of European companies, as well as consumer associations, is unanimous: a Urgent and constructive dialogue between Brussels and Washington. It is necessary to prevent a unilateral choice, perhaps born more for internal electoral needs than for economic logic, compromises an entire sector.
The fear is that a domino effect is triggered: rates that generate retaliation, interrupted supply chains, frozen investments and, above all, slowdown in the energy transition. A risk too high, in a historical moment in which every step back on environmental sustainability is a luxury that we can no longer afford.
The EU is at a crossroads
The arm wrestling on car duties is part of an increasingly unstable geopolitical frame, in which commercial choices become pressure tools. But the real challenge is to keep the course: protect your market without giving up sustainabilitydefend jobs without sacrificing ecological ambition.
The ball is now in the hands of the European institutions. The answer that will give to this new threat will define not only relations with the United States, but also the future of the electric car in Europe. And, after all, that of sustainable mobility that everyone – at least in words – want to build.
We are deeply worried about the escalation of commercial tensions in the world. European car manufacturers undertake to be active in the United States, making an important contribution to the US economy, representing about half a million jobs* in the automotive sector, exporting over 750,000 vehicles to the United States in 2024 and actively investing in local communities to promote economic prosperity – he said Sigrid De VriesGeneral manager ofEuropean Association of Car Manufacturers (ACEA)-We urge our leaders to meet urgently so that they can find a solution to any problem that prevents free and fair trade between historical allies and allowing the UE-US relationship to thrive once again.
We are currently evaluating the impact of US rates. As a global company, we rely on constructive cooperation and on policies that promote mutually advantageous commercial exchanges among international markets. Mercedes-Benz-explained the company-claims free and fair trade, which is the basis of prosperity, growth and innovation. It is now important that the EU and the United States undertake a constructive dialogue and reach a fair negotiated solution, and in the interest of both sides. Mercedes-Benz is a consolidated presence in the United States since 1888. With 24 sites in 13 states, the company mainly produces cars and vans, has several research and development locations, as well as Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, a service provider in the field of financing and leasing, as well as charging. Mercedes-Benz companies directly employ around 11,100 people in the United States. Our 384 dealers employ another 28,000 people, which guarantees a total of further 51,000 jobs. Overall, we safeguard more than 163,000 local jobs. As a reference employer and a good company citizen, we are an integral part of the US economy and local communities in which the members of our team live.
The decision of the American administration will significantly damage the European car manufacturers, affecting their margins, and will not help the transition to electric vehicles – explained the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (Beuc), which represents 44 independent consumer organizations from 31 European countries – is actually much worse than any dilution of the EU CO2 objectives for car manufacturers. Consumers are already fighting with the cost of purchasing new cars, so this will only serve to make them less accessible. The EU must maintain a firm position in any negotiation with the United States on duties, in particular on the issue of automotive safety. The EU must not offer ‘equivalence’ or mutual recognition of the safety and environmental standards of US vehicles. This would have catastrophic implications for safety, would undermine the single EU market and the leading car safety standards worldwide, and would lead to unfair competition in the vehicle market.
