European automakers are bracing for President Trump’s tariff threats

Automakers that export to the US are waiting to see whether Donald Trump will turn his tariff rhetoric into reality as they digest the news that the Republican has won a second term as president.

The US is a key market for British premium and luxury carmakers, with models from JLR, Bentley, Aston Martin, McLaren and Rolls-Royce accounting for the majority of the 73,571 British car exports to the US last year.

JLR is particularly vulnerable to potential tariff increases on European cars, as the US was the company’s largest global market in the first nine months of the year, selling three of every 10 cars it sold.