US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he departs the White House, in Washington, DC, on June 2, 2019. (Jim Watson / Getty Images President Donald Trump says he is not at this moment considering fresh tariffs on imported autos and parts from Japan that he has threatened, citing an agreement in principle with Japan on trade announced over the weekend.Its one of the reasons we made the deal, Trump said in a press conference at the conclusion of the G-7 summit in France.Its something I could do at a later date if I wanted to but were not looking at that. We just want to be treated fairly.The threat of steep new U.S tariffs on imported automobiles and components has loomed over the auto industry and major U.S. trading partners since the the U.S. Commerce Department in February found those imports could impair national security.Trump backed that finding in May, but delayed imposing new levies on the sector through at least mid-November to allow U.S. negotiators to pursue trade deals with Japan and the European Union.Trump had earlier said there would be no change to U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos after he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an agreement-in-principle over the weekend. During the press conference Monday, Trump also said the U.S. is very close to reaching a trade pact with the European Union, citing the specter of additional levies of up to 25 per cent on imported autos as a reason why.We made a great deal with Japan and were very close to maybe making a deal with the EU, because they dont want tariffs, its very simple. They dont want to tax cars, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Trump said. I think were going to make a deal with the EU without having to go that route. I may have to go that route but maybe
Origin: Trump rejects new tariffs on Japan auto imports ‘at this moment’
imports
News Roundup: Elon hires sheep-tweet guy, VW imports an SUV and more
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam. Here’s what you missed while you were away. Elon Musk has hired that dude from the sheep Tweets The photo of the absolute unit shared on the museum’s Twitter page that started the exchange with Elon Musk. The MERL via Twitter Remember recently when Elon Musk traded Tweets including sheep photos and gifs with the Museum of English Rural Life in Berkshire, U.K.? Yeah, that happened. Musk was so impressed with the museum’s social media manager’s humorous social media management, that he’s hired the guy to work for Tesla. So if you want a job with Tesla, just send your application in Tweet form to @elonmusk, apparently. Volkswagen is bringing a new SUV, the Tarek, to North America Volkswagen is expanding its SUV offerings in North and South America with the addition of a compact SUV that’s already on roads elsewhere. It’s called the Tharu in China, but when it reaches Western shores it will be known as the Tarek, this according to details revealed by Volkswagen of Argentina. The small SUV will fit in beneath the Tiguan in Volkswagen’s SUV lineup. VW hasn’t revealed any of their other cards, including how similar the Tharu and Tarek will be in appearance and performance, but don’t worry, we’re staying tuned for you. Lowered VW owner says his Irish town’s speed bumps are ‘discrimination’ Christopher Fitzgibbon and his lowered VW Passat Michael Cowhey / SWNS via the Daily Mail But first, a poem: There once was a lad with a car that he lowered just a little too far so when it smashed a speed bump and he felt like a chump, he cried “I’m not paying, you are!” A 23-year-old man from Limerick, Ireland, who dished out $4,000 to have his Volkswagen Passat lowered down to four inches off the ground, and then damaged it to the tune of $3,400 by driving it over the speed bumps in town, is claiming the city has “discriminated” against him and should be footing the bill. “I feel discriminated against because I’m driving a modified car – it’s lowered, so it’s four inches off the road – and I’m being denied my right to drive on these roads,” he told the Daily Mail. Limerick city responded by pointing out that the speed bumps are in fact less than 75 mm or three inches tall. All seven generations of the Chevrolet Corvette, ranked They were all great in their own way, but which was the best? Handout / GM In anticipation of the arrival of the C8, we’ve organized all seven gens of the Corvette from best to worst. Driving’s Vette-expert Clayton Seams puts the C5 generation (1997-2005) at the very bottom of the pile for having “the absolute worst interior of any Corvette” among other less redeemable qualities. Up in second place, he’s got the C3 (1968-1982), an undeniable ’70s sex symbol driven by the likes of the Apollo astronauts and Jimi Hendrix. Which Corvette takes the title of best of all time so far? Read on to find out. Couple out $14,500 after accidentally purchasing stolen vehicle that was covered by Manitoba Public Insurance 2015 Ford Explorer Limited Graeme Fletcher / Driving A couple that purchased a 2015 Ford Explorer from an independent seller, had it insured by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), and then drove it home, got an unpleasant surprise when police later showed up to seize the vehicle. The SUV was one of 13 vehicles taken from a Winnipeg used car dealership in what appears to be an inside job involving a former sales manager. The reason the Explorer didn’t raise red flags at the insurance desk is because the heist hadn’t been uncovered or reported to the police yet. For the couple, it unfortunately means they’re out $14,000 and a car. MPI says the funds can only be recuperated from the seller of the vehicle. Which is the superior luxury sport-ute, the 2019 BMW X5 or the 2019 Porsche Cayenne? 2019 Porsche Cayenne S vs. 2019 BMW X5 xDrive50i Nick Tragianis / Driving This week, our highly opinionated in-house experts Nick Tragianis and Brian Harper debate the merits and faults of the BMW X5 xDrive 50i and the Porsche Cayenne S with the aim of determining which is the better buy. On the one hand, the Cayenne is a more capable towing rig, and its back seat is roomier. On the other hand, the X5’s interior is utterly lavish, especially with the Premium Excellence package (yes, it’s really called that) providing features like cooled and massaging seats, leather everything and a crystal shift lever. Both SUVs have been refreshed for 2019, and both are plenty bling-y, but one is $20,000 cheaper. Canadians choose manual transmissions more often than Americans do There’s been a lot of news about the manual transmission lately. Brands are releasing their uptake numbers, purists are sobbing for the state of humanity, and we auto journalist are comparing any way we can. For
Origin: News Roundup: Elon hires sheep-tweet guy, VW imports an SUV and more
Trump delays imposing tariffs on auto imports and parts
Brand-new Subaru cars sit in a lot at Auto Warehousing Company near the Port of Richmond on May 17, 2019 in Richmond, California.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Caught in a sprawling trade dispute with U.S. rival China, President Donald Trump decided against declaring commercial war on America’s friends. The White House said Friday he is delaying for six months any decision to slap import taxes on foreign cars, a move that would hit Europe and Japan especially hard. Trump is hoping to use the threat of auto tariffs to pressure Japan and the European Union into making concessions in ongoing trade talks. “If agreements are not reached within 180 days, the president will determine whether and what further action needs to be taken,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The president has dusted off a rarely used weapon in the U.S. trade war arsenal – Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 – to investigate whether auto imports are a threat to U.S. national security, justifying tariffs. The Commerce Department sent its recommendations on the issue to the White House in February. In a statement, the White House said that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has determined that imported vehicles and parts are a threat to national security. President Trump said he agreed, but decided to defer any action for 180 days and directed the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer “to address the threatened impairment of national security” in negotiations. In the meantime, Ross will monitor imports and tell Trump of circumstances that “might indicate the need for further action.” The White House statement doesn’t mention tariffs, but clearly they are the prime option to reduce imports. In justifying action for national security reasons, the statement says the U.S. industrial base depends on American-owned auto companies to come up with technology to maintain U.S. military superiority. The Commerce Department found that because of rising imports of autos and parts over the past 30 years, the market share of U.S.-owned automakers has fallen. Sales revenue has dropped, causing a lag in research and development spending by U.S. automakers which is “weakening innovation and, accordingly, threatening to impair our national security,” the statement said. But the statistics used to justify the action are fuzzy and don’t match market share figures from the industry. In 2017, General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Tesla combined had a 44.5 per cent share of U.S. auto sales, according to Autodata Corp. Those figures include vehicles produced in other countries. It’s possible that the Commerce Department didn’t include Fiat Chrysler, which is now legally headquartered in The Netherlands but has a huge research and development operation near Detroit. It had 12 per cent of U.S. auto sales in 2017. The Commerce figures also do not account for research by foreign automakers. Toyota, Hyundai-Kia, Subaru, Honda and others have significant research centres in the U.S. “The case remains clear — cars are not a national security threat,” the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry trade group, said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned that the administration continues to consider imposing auto tariffs. By boosting car prices across the board and driving up car repair and maintenance costs, tariffs are essentially a massive tax on consumers.” Trump used the national security justification last year to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. One of the motivations was to coerce Canada and Mexico into agreeing to a rewrite of North American free trade pact. In fact, the Canadians and Mexicans did go along with a revamped regional trade deal that was to Trump’s liking. But the administration has so far refused to lift the taxes on their metals to the United States
Origin: Trump delays imposing tariffs on auto imports and parts
All about car 