Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 3, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman car exports to the US dropped in April and May due to tariffs, impacting sales. The VDA urges a quick EU-US agreement to resolve the issue.
(Reuters) -German car exports to the United States fell sharply in April and May as import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hit German automakers' sales in their most important foreign market, the VDA industry association said on Thursday.
Auto exports to the U.S. fell by 13% in April and 25% in May from the same months the previous year, VDA said. Some 64,300 vehicles were shipped to the U.S. over both months, it added.
In a bid to strengthen U.S. industry, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on car imports from the EU in April. Since May, it has also applied to car parts.
"Every effort must be made to find a political agreement between the EU and the U.S. as quickly as possible - a free trade agreement should continue to be a long-term goal. However, speed plays a decisive role," VDA's head Hildegard Mueller said.
Trump has set a deadline of July 9 for a deal with the EU.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the EU to settle a tariff dispute with the United States quickly to protect core industries, such as cars, steel and pharmaceuticals.
German car manufacturers are likely to have incurred costs of around half a billion euros in April due to the tariffs, Mueller estimated in June.
(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt, Writing by Tristan Veyet in Gdansk, Editing by Madeline Chambers)
German car exports to the U.S. fell by 13% in April compared to the same month the previous year.
Trump imposed 25% tariffs on car imports from the EU in April, which also applied to car parts starting in May.
Trump has set a deadline of July 9 for reaching a deal with the EU regarding tariffs.
German car manufacturers are likely to have incurred costs of around half a billion euros in April due to the tariffs.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the EU to settle the tariff dispute with the United States quickly to protect core industries.
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