German Association of the Automotive Industry: Restrictions within NAFTA would have a major adverse effect on the economy

BERLIN, 20-Jan-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, comments on the latest announcements by future US President Donald Trump

“We take the statements seriously. However, first of all we have to wait and see whether these announcements will be put into effect by the US administration and if so, in what form. There may well be considerable resistance in Congress to plans for an import tax. Investment decisions in the automotive industry are planned for the long term and are not thrown overboard at the drop of a hat. The German automotive industry is active around the world. Restrictions within NAFTA would have a major adverse effect on the economy, and no one is going to want that. For the German auto makers, the United States is not only the second largest export market, but also an important production location supplying the global market. During the past seven years we have quadrupled our US light vehicle production to 850,000 units. More than half of all vehicles built by German OEMs in the US are exported. If the US introduced import duties or other trade barriers, it would be shooting itself in the foot in the long term because in times of globalization and international value chains, good trade relations are decisively important for economic growth. One can only warn against the spreading worldwide tendencies toward protectionism which ultimately will only damage every single country, despite apparent short-term advantages.”

SOURCE: VDA

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