EU Carmakers Press Brussels for Trilogue Resolution as Trump Hardens Tariff Stance

European auto manufacturers are pushing for a swift conclusion to EU-US trade trilogues opening in Brussels on Wednesday, as Donald Trump's threat to lift tariffs on EU-made vehicles to 25 per cent raises the stakes for a sector already facing margin pressure from Chinese competitors.

The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), whose members include Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault and BMW, urged co-legislators on Monday to find common ground and finalise the legislation needed to lock in last July's Turnberry framework. That deal, struck between the US president and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sets a comprehensive 15 per cent tariff on most EU goods entering the United States.

The US accounted for 18.4 per cent of EU vehicle exports by value last year, ACEA said, second only to the UK. Around 13.6 million Europeans work in the bloc's automotive sector. Failure to ratify exposes carmakers to a sudden 10-percentage-point step up in US duties after Trump's 1 May announcement that he would raise tariffs because the EU was "not complying" with its side of the bargain.

Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Paris last week, briefing him on the trilogue timeline and pressing for a return to the Turnberry terms before the agreement's first anniversary. Speaking in Yerevan on Tuesday at the close of the inaugural EU-Armenia summit, von der Leyen said the bloc was "prepared for any scenario" but insisted that "an agreement is an agreement".

The European Parliament cleared the deal in March after twice deferring a vote. With Council backing also secured, Wednesday's trilogue is widely seen as the final domestic hurdle. For Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Turin, the harder question is whether Washington will hold its end of the bargain even if Brussels does.