UK car manufacturers are asking the government for assistance as they become less hopeful about reaching a deal with US President Donald Trump to avoid high tariffs.
On Friday morning March 28, industry leaders met with UK minister Sarah Jones to discuss their response to the upcoming 25% tariffs on US car imports, which are set to take effect next week.
As per multiple outlets, the UK government is still trying to negotiate exemptions from various US import taxes, which is set to take effect next week.
However, some car companies now think it's too late to prevent the tariffs and are instead looking for government support to deal with the impact.
Sources familiar with the meeting said that many car manufacturers participated and shared their concerns about the upcoming US tariffs.
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They explained that these tariffs would add to existing challenges, such as meeting the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
As per the reports, there was general agreement that the UK government should push for a deal with the US.
However government officials mainly listened during the meeting and did not present any specific solutions.
One source stated that there was no indication of possible agreement with the US before the tariffs take effect next week.
The US tariffs could significantly affect the UK economy.
According to the government's official forecaster, in the worst-case scenario these tariffs could slow economic growth by 1%.
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