Toyota Calls Vehicle Import Tariffs 'Threat to National Security'

June 29, 2018—On May 23, President Trump directed the US Commerce Department to conduct an investigation, under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, to determine whether imports of vehicles, including cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks and automotive parts, are a threat to national security, according to Toyota.
 
President Trump announced he will impose a 25 percent tariff on vehicle imports if the government concludes that they are a security threat. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced plans to complete the probe by late July or August after holding hearings next month.
 
The Commerce department has set Friday, June 29th as a deadline to file comments on its proposed tariff. Industry trade associations, automakers, including Toyota, and other groups plan to submit comments.
 
 Below is Toyota’s statement in advance of its formal submission:
 
“A hundred and thirty-seven thousand Americans support their families working for Toyota, and Toyota and Lexus dealerships. They are not a national security threat. Indeed, Toyota operates 10 manufacturing plants in the U.S.  We are an exemplar of the manufacturing might of America.  A 25% tariff on automotive imports, which is just a tax on consumers, would increase the cost of every vehicle sold in the country. Even the Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in America, made in Georgetown, Kentucky, would face $1,800 in increased costs.  We believe the only plausible outcome of this investigation is to reject the notion that automotive imports threaten national security.”