Trump auto tariffs - how has the world reacted?

Governments from Ottawa to Paris threatened retaliation on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles, expanding a global trade war, hammering stocks and testing already strained ties with allies.

The new levies on cars and light trucks will take effect on April 3, the day after Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs aimed at the countries he says are responsible for the bulk of the U.S. trade deficit.

The U.S. imported $474 billion worth of automotive products in 2024, including passenger cars worth $220 billion. Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Germany, all close U.S. allies, were the biggest suppliers.

The tariffs are a sucker punch for Europe at a time when relations with Washington have plummeted over issues such as the war in Ukraine and the upending of a decades-old Transatlantic alliance, with the U.S. as the ultimate guarantor of European security.

Here is some of the global reaction.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun: "No country's development and prosperity are achieved by imposing tariffs…..(The tariffs are) "not conducive to solving its (U.S.) own problems."

EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen: "Bad for businesses, worse for consumers."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: "We will defend our workers, we will defend our companies, we will defend our country, and we will defend it together."

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck: "What counts now is to have a firm response to these tariffs from the EU. It needs to be clear that we will not take this lying down. The EU must now give a firm response to the tariffs - it must be clear that we will not back down in the face of the USA."

UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves: "Trade wars are no good for anyone. We are working intensely these next few days to try and secure a good deal for Britain. I recognise how important this is."

French Finance Minister Eric Lombard: "The hostility is increasing…It's very bad news and it's an obviously uncooperative act in a situation where cooperation is what will allow us to resolve the problem."

Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's Prime Minister: "Japan is a country that is making the largest amount of investment to the United States, so we wonder if it makes sense for (Washington) to apply uniform tariffs to all countries. That is a point we've been making and will continue to do so. We need to consider what's best for Japan's national interest. We're putting all options on the table in considering the most effective response."

Tatiana Prazeres, Brazil's Secretary of Foreign Trade:  "We didn't need to wake up to what happened last evening. Trade is being weaponized…"We don't know where this will lead us. I think it might get worse before it gets better.

Shawn Fain, United Auto Workers Union President: "We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades ... These tariffs are a major step in the right direction for autoworkers and blue-collar communities across the country, and it is now on the automakers, from the Big Three to Volkswagen and beyond, to bring back good union jobs to the U.S."