Donald Trump told a German newspaper he might enact a 35 percent tax on cars imported into the U.S. from Germany and Canada.
"If you want to build cars in the world, then I wish you all the best," Trump told the German newspaper Bild in a story published Monday. "You can build cars for the United States, but for every car that comes to the USA, you will pay a 35 percent tax. I would tell BMW that if you are building a factory in Mexico and plan to sell cars to the USA without a 35 percent tax, then you can forget that."
BMW was the source of Trump's specific focus as the German automaker is building a $1 billion plant in Mexico to produce vehicles for the U.S. and has no plans to budge on stopping construction or moving it to the U.S.
"BMW's decision to build a plant in Mexico is strategic; it will supply cars to our markets around the world and will join our BMW Group Global Production Network of 31 plants in 14 countries," Kenn Sparks, head of corporate communications for BMW of North America told WYFF4.
BMW's biggest plant is in Spartanburg, S.C., with a workforce of 8,800, Sparks said in a statement.
Trump has threatened tariffs on other automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Toyota.
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