U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday 25% tariffs on vehicles entering the United States from several countries around the world, including Mexico and Canada, its main trading partners in North America, with the aim of boosting the growth of the automotive sector in the country’s northern neighbor.
At a press conference, the U.S. president said the tax will apply to finished cars and trucks exported to the U.S., including American brands whose cars are assembled abroad.
“What we’re going to do is impose a 25% tariff on all cars that aren’t made in the United States; if they’re made in the United States, there’s no tariff,” he asserted.
From the Oval Office in Washington, DC, he pointed out that if a vehicle is built in the United States, tariffs will not be paid, and he specified that the measure will go into effect on April 2 .
He also assured that the aforementioned tax will not apply to parts produced in the United States.
“This is the true Liberation Day in America,” he emphasized, noting that he will sign an executive order on the matter that will elevate the U.S. auto industry.
“We’re going to charge countries for doing business in our country and for taking our jobs, our wealth, and many other things they’ve been taking for years,” Trump said at the conference.
The US president has long said that tariffs on auto imports would be a defining policy of his administration, betting that the costs generated by the taxes would force more production to move to the United States.
Although Trump has stated that he does not want vehicles manufactured in Mexico and Canada, and has announced that he has major plans to have automakers move their manufacturing to the United States, the United States remains the main buyer of cars manufactured in Mexico.
“I don’t want cars from Canada. I don’t want cars from Mexico. I want car companies to build here,” the US president asserted.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) , the export of light vehicles manufactured in Mexico during the first two months of 2025 was 478,366 units , and the United States was its main destination, with 84.2% reaching 402,986 units ; Canada followed with 41,804 cars , which represented 8.7% of car shipments abroad.
According to the Ministry of Economy , in 2024 Mexico captured six thousand 925 million dollars (mdd ) for the manufacturing of cars and trucks, which meant an increase of 36% compared to 2023, when the investment was five thousand 091 million dollars .
This announcement of tariffs on imports of vehicles manufactured outside the United States comes one week before “Liberation Day” on April 2, when the U.S. government is expected to announce reciprocal tariffs, which Trump has announced will be very “lenient.”
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