Press Statement Statement by IG Metall and the General Works Council Chairs of German Automakers on Planned Import Tariffs

Frankfurt am Main – Ahead of the upcoming vote by EU member states on the planned import tariffs for electric vehicles produced in China, IG Metall President Christiane Benner and the GBR/KBR chairs of German automakers—Daniela Cavallo (Volkswagen), Ergun Lümali (Mercedes-Benz), Dr. Martin Kimmich (BMW), Benjamin Gruschka (Ford), Jörg Schlagbauer (Audi), and Uwe Baum (Opel/Stellantis) state:

“We oppose the planned import tariffs and call on the German federal government to vote against their introduction. With an eye toward the future prospects of hundreds of thousands of employees at German automakers and their suppliers, we state unequivocally: These tariffs are the wrong approach, as they do not improve the competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

Both sides should do everything in their power to work intensively through negotiations to find solutions for a fair competitive environment in the international automotive markets. In an escalating trade conflict, everyone would lose. 

Given the strong interdependencies, we do not advocate “anti-China” tariffs, but rather a CO2-oriented trade and subsidy regime that promotes the development of regional and local value chains. This should apply equally to German, European, U.S., and Asian manufacturers. In this context, value creation and employment at German and European locations must be at the forefront of European advocacy efforts.

For example, when non-European automakers establish operations here, it must be ensured that components manufactured in Europe (local content) are used. This would also allow the German and European supplier industry to benefit and encourage greater innovation in software-defined vehicles within Europe. The goal of these measures should not be to isolate the market from Chinese manufacturers, but rather to create fair competition and strengthen the German and European share of value added in all vehicles sold here.”