The German Mercedes-Benz car manufacturer has also called on Europe and the United States to abolish car imports, as US President Donald Trump threatens to visit his duties on EU goods.
Ola Kallenius, head of the German manufacturer of the Premium car, said in an interview published on Thursday that the EU charges a 10 percent tariff to cars imported from America, while the United States has a duty only 2.5 percent on the blocks from the block.
“Let’s lower these tariffs on both sides to zero,” Handelsblatt Business Daily told Handelsblatt.
“That would be reciprocity and that would create growth instead of suffocating it,” he said, adding that the European industry dependent on exports needed free trade more than their American colleagues.
“Europe has more interests than anyone else in ensuring that the world markets remain open and there is a fair frame for international trade,” he said.
Trump threatened to hit products from the 27-state EU with 25 percent of tariffs and signed plans to move “reciprocal tariffs” that could hit both allies and opponents of April 2.
US tariffs on imported cars will create a large headache for Mercedes and other European manufacturers, as many vehicles that sell in the United States are imported.
Kallenius said that Mercedes had been “manufacturing for years in the United States for years,” but said that a car manufacturer was also preparing for US duties.
“We are watching the procurement of each component, logistics, price and many other factors,” he said.
This story is originally shown on Fortune.com
