German cars try to bypass Trump's tariffs. Mercedes-Benz has put forward a proposal that aims to defuse the growing trade tension between the United States and the European Union on the front ofautomotive. The group's CEO, Ola Kaellenius, he explained to the weekly Der Spiegel a “symmetrical” idea: the entry into Europe of aAmerican car without duties for every European vehicle who enters the United States under the same conditions.
“For every car that leaves the United States or Europe, one from the other side enters without duties. We have presented this idea to both sides and it is a possible element of the negotiations between the US and the EU,” Kaellenius explained.
According to the CEO of the Stuttgart group, such a mechanism could not only offer a solution to the current tug of war, but alsoto replace a replicable model in other industrial sectors, promoting fairer and more predictable trade.
Compact front with BMW and Volkswagen
Mercedes-Benz is not alone in this initiative. Also bmw e Volkswagen, as reported by Reuters, have already initiated contacts with the US administration to evaluate a possible agreement which leads to the mutual elimination of customs duties on imported cars. The hypothesis that is being discussed includes the possibility of obtaining “credits” for cars exported from the United States, to be discounted on import duties.
Mercedes as a “think tank” for negotiations
In a second interview, given to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Kaellenius reiterated the group's proactive role in the political-commercial confrontation between Brussels and Washington. Although formal negotiations are the responsibility of the EU institutions, Mercedes proposes itself as a technical interlocutor, offering scenarios and impact analyses that can help policy makers.
“As a company, we engage in dialogue with policy makers, both in the EU and in China and the United States,” Kaellenius said. “However, the negotiations are taking place at the level of the European Union, because trade policy is a Community competence. We are available as a laboratory of ideas, to contribute scenarios and suggestions on how certain decisions would impact us.”
The German strategy is clear: maintain the initiative, offering concrete solutions, to prevent Europe from being subjected to unilateral measures by the United States, especially in a geopolitical context in which economic protectionism has returned to the center of the agenda.
