A top motoring expert has warned Donald Trump that American car manufacturers are unlikely to sell more models in the UK as the US President threatens to impose tariffs on imported models.
President Trump’s first weeks back in the White House have been dominated by tariffs, many of which are being designed to boost sales of American-made models and encourage manufacturers to change where they build their cars.
However, Phil McNamara, Editor-at-Large for the motoring publication Auto Express, highlighted that it is unlikely this will affect demand for American models in the UK.
He explained: “We say car, they say automobile and all that. Nonetheless, in 2024, a Ford topped the new-car sales charts in both the UK and the US. But not the same Ford: we flocked to the Puma, a tiddly crossover dwarfed by America’s top-selling F-150. The star-spangled pick-up measures 1.1m longer – in its shortest form.
“That’s one reason why President Donald Trump’s plaintive cry for Europeans to buy more American vehicles or face tariffs is hollow and self-serving. So many American vehicles don’t fit our tastes or use cases.”
The expert highlighted that the demands made by the typical American motorist are completely different to drivers in Europe. In particular, American car buyers choose much larger and more powerful models.
As a result, vehicles such as the Ford F-150 pickup truck, Toyota Camry, and Chevrolet Silverado are some of the most popular in the country – all of which are considered too large for the narrow streets of most European towns and cities.
In order to succeed, manufacturers building vehicles in America will need to introduce smaller models that are less successful in their home market in order to maintain sales elsewhere in the world.
Phil also highlighted that most American-based car companies have mixed fortunes, highlighting General Motors in particular for losing money on Vauxhall between 2000 to 2017.
He added: “General Motors lost around $20 billion (£16 billion) on Opel/Vauxhall from the millennium to 2017, when it cut and run by selling its European operations to Peugeot-Citroen. That group subsequently became Stellantis after those European brands merged with Fiat-Chrysler.
“Independent companies import two of Stellantis’ American brands, Dodge and Chrysler. The Chrysler Pacifica is one of a dying breed of MPVs, Dodge makes hilariously fun muscle cars packing V6 or V8 engines; the punchiest seven-seat Durango SUV hoses out a huge 455g/km of CO2.”
