Volkswagen is reportedly closing in on its own separate tariff deal with the US
In a bid to get its own tariff rate below the 15% applied to most EU exports, Volkswagen is dangling big US investments.
Speaking at a trade show Monday, VW CEO Oliver Blume said the automaker is in advanced talks on a deal to limit its own tariff burden. Volkswagen reported a tariff cost of $1.5 billion in the first half of the year.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Blume said the company is in close contact with the Trump administration and has had “good talks” about its separate deal. The current 15% tariff rate on EU vehicles would still “be a burden for Volkswagen,” Blume said.
A company reaching a tariff deal separate from its home country isn’t typical, though there’s already precedent this year, with Apple $100 billion US investment deal amid chip tariffs and President Trump’s threats to add a levy to smartphones. Nvidia and AMD similarly struck a deal to receive the ability to sell chips in China, agreeing in exchange to give the US 15% of the revenue from those sales.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Blume said the company is in close contact with the Trump administration and has had “good talks” about its separate deal. The current 15% tariff rate on EU vehicles would still “be a burden for Volkswagen,” Blume said.
A company reaching a tariff deal separate from its home country isn’t typical, though there’s already precedent this year, with Apple $100 billion US investment deal amid chip tariffs and President Trump’s threats to add a levy to smartphones. Nvidia and AMD similarly struck a deal to receive the ability to sell chips in China, agreeing in exchange to give the US 15% of the revenue from those sales.
