Toyota said on Wednesday that a proposed 25 percent tariff on vehicle imports under consideration by the Trump Administration would needlessly increase the cost of every vehicle sold in the United States.
In May, President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate whether imports of vehicles and vehicle parts were a threat to national security.
“A hundred and thirty-seven thousand Americans support their families working for Toyota, and Toyota and Lexus dealerships,” Toyota said in a statement. “They are not a national security threat.”
Toyota noted that the company operates 10 manufacturing plants in the United States.
“We are an exemplar of the manufacturing might of America,” the company said. “A 25 percent 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.”
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross intends to complete its investigation into the vehicle import tariff under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act by late July or August. Hearings are currently scheduled for July on the issue, with June 29 being the last day to file comments on the proposed tariff. Toyota is among those filing comments.
Toyota said, “We believe the only plausible outcome of this investigation is to reject the notion that automotive imports threaten national security.”
The government’s probe of imports of vehicles includes cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks and automotive parts.