Cars Made in the UK Following Trump’s Tariff Announcement
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Following US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on all imported cars coming into America, it has caused uproar not only from within the car industry, but also from the buyers themselves. In 2024, the US imported eight million cars (out of 16 million in total), equal to $240 billion. Of that total, almost 125,000 (out of 780,000) British made cars went to America. Despite that being a small proportion compared to the total, it will still make an impact, both for the UK and US. However, amidst this, have you been wondering what cars the UK actually makes for America? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
The British car manufacturing industry is dominated by luxury car brands such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Mclaren, which explains why the UK car exports are worth about £7.6 billion a year. Aston Martin and Mclaren are renowned for their fantastic and strikingly beautiful sports cars, and each also have their own F1 teams, of which the Grand Prix is currently taking place. But the luxury brand that dominates US imports, over the others, is Land Rover, particularly with their Defender and Range Rover models. Land Rovers attract so many customers because of their iconic styling, fantastic interiors and the go-anywhere sense they have. The Range Rover starts from $107,900 (before options), so it certainly doesn’t come cheap, similarly to the other British car brands mentioned previously.
A slight contrast to these substantial (both in price and size) cars is Mini, famously known for its Cooper model. For the past 20 years it has been owned by BMW, which is another car company which will be affected by the tariff, due to many of its models being made outside of America. Mini produces the Cooper in Oxfordshire, where they make a 2 and 4 door as well as the Convertible. In 2024, the US imported roughly 9,000 Minis, which also takes into account the German-made Countryman SUV model.
It’s clear that Americans love the Great British heritage that you get with these car companies, subsequently suggesting why they loved The Crown TV show so much too. This is why British car companies love to project this heritage onto their cars, such as Mini and Bentley using Union Jacks on various parts of their cars. Rolls Royce proudly places its ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ ornament on the tip of the bonnet, and can even be ordered in pure Silver or Gold.
Overall, the United Kingdom makes several types of cars, but specifically those in the top end of the price market with luxury and sports cars. However, the anomaly of cheaper car brands such as Mini shows there’s still a more affordable way for Americans to own a car with British heritage. The tariff placed on all imported cars into the US will be an issue for the more affordable cars coming into America, as manufacturers will have to raise their list prices to make a profit. However, for these British cars that already hold a high price tag, it likely won’t cause that much of a disruption to their sales because of this.
