Shanghai – The cabins of the great manufacturers of Chinese, German and Japanese cars were full of cars USA rates. in imports of cars and auto parts.
The signals are that 25% rates of the president of the president of the United States, Donald Trump In car imports it is causing companies to emphasize their strategies and, in some cases, Find new opportunities.
“When the previous governments disagree, it will affect business below,” Ma Lihua, general manager of Soling, a Chinese manufacturer of domain control units and other electronic used in things such as the rear view camera.
Soling, based in Shanghai, has Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and many other global and first -level global cars manufacturers among its customers. It is also establishing a manufacturing base in Vietnam, whose local EV VINFAST manufacturer has ambitions to become the leading car manufacturer of Southeast Asia.
Many of the dozens of auto parts and components that exhibit in the Shanghai auto show have operations that cover both Chinese and World markets.
The Metal Gestamp component manufacturer, a chassis supplier, battery boxes and other key auto parts, has suffered a deceleration in the US markets and Western Europe, but is expanding in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Tariffs are now an additional complication, since automobile manufacturers look to see what is coming.
“In the past, supply chains would generally be executed as a Swiss clock, but now it is quite the opposite,” said Ernesto Barcelo, director of ESG for Metal Gestamp components, he said about the uncertainty that the market now dominated.
“The lack of stability now, is very … spongy,” said Barcelo.
A fundamental criterion to invest in any market is political stability, said Wei Jianjun, president of Great Wall Motor Co., when asked about their company’s plans to expand manufacturing abroad. That applies to countries like Hungary, where the company has not yet decided whether to build a factory, he said, but also to the United States under Trump.
“If a country is not politically stable, it is very risky,” said Wei, who is also called Jack Wey.
With such high American rates, Great Wall can focus on other places, such as in commerce between China and Europe, which will surely grow, he said. Did not address the issue of UP 45.3% rates that the EU has imposed on electric vehicles made in China.
Tianshu Xin, CEO of Leapmotor International, a joint company of Stellantis and Leapmotor from China, said the US market was not its first approach.
Now, “we want to monitor the regulatory environment, and also customer preferences are slightly different compared to other markets,” Xin said.
Japan Nissan plans to launch 10 new electric vehicles in China by 2027, nine of them its own brand, and spend $ 1.4 billion at the end of 2026 in its expansion there. In the US, you have the option of increasing its free ability to compensate for reduced imports due to rates.
“Some doors have been closed, but others have been open,” said Ma. “But any plan that makes it change very quickly. The market changes very quickly.”
In addition to the highest rates, car manufacturers and suppliers must also deal with national security restrictions that are an increasingly important factor in automotive electronics.
Wuhan Kotei Informatics, which provides autonomous driving software, adapted its business model to deal with sanctions. Now, the company based in Wuhan in center of China acts as a consultant and allows foreign clients to adapt the software to local requirements, said Ye Xiongfei, general manager of the company’s autonomous driving division.
“It’s as if he taught you how to walk if you don’t know how to walk, and I will help you walk if you can’t walk,” Ye said.
Some restrictions on technology are understandable, but too many “will damage the innovation of the United States.
Some who attended the program said they believe that, ultimately, Trump will end up softening his position.
“Trump is a businessman and hopes to boost the economy of the United States by imposing tariffs on other countries, but I think these measures are temporary,” said Yang Jingdi, assistant to the LVXiang CEO Automobile Parts Co., which makes electronics include mirrors and rearview bombs.
“We’ll wait and see,” he said. “China has full and abundant supply chains and is the US. What does not cling if the tariff measures of both sides remain unchanged.”
The AOD technology, which manufactures domain control units that process several commands, such as opening doors and controlling execution tables in SUV, was showing a basic Cybertruck version of Tesla equipped with its devices, evidence of its ambition to sell to the EV manufacturer.
It may not be the best time to plan to sell these components to an American car manufacturer for production in the United States, admitted Claire Deng, senior sales manager.
But he said that Aod, based in South Zhongshan, had bought Cybertruck as part of a process that can take years, developing what is needed to become a supplier.
“Who knows what will happen,” he said. “We want to be ready.”
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Associated Press Yu Bing researcher contributed.
