Nearly six out of 10 individuals (59%) say they’re much less doubtless to purchase a automotive from a rustic imposing tariffs on UK-made fashions.
This month’s Startline Used Automotive Tracker exhibits that 32% imagine this a great way to struggle again in opposition to tariffs, 18% that tariffs may badly have an effect on UK automotive gross sales overseas and 16% wish to assist UK producers.
Nonetheless, 15% doubt that this sort of boycott would have any impact on tariffs being imposed, 14% imagine that UK automobiles gross sales received’t be significantly affected and 5% don’t really feel the necessity to assist UK motor producers.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, stated: “Whereas the actions thus far taken by the US are fairly restricted, tariffs are a topic which have been receiving plenty of consideration within the press currently and motor manufacturing is actually one space the place it seems President Trump is trying to make use of them to reshape imports and exports. This has come on high of tussles between China and the EU in relation to electrical car tariffs on the finish of final 12 months.
“Our analysis exhibits that the general public takes fairly a dim view of this sort of financial protectionism and a majority would proactively struggle again by boycotting the automobiles of any nation that imposed tariffs on UK producers.
“The principle challenge right here is that the nation almost certainly to impose tariffs is the US and we purchase only a few US-made automobiles right here, regardless of some concerted efforts by main producers over time to vary that. There are simply not many automobiles to boycott.
“Probably the Trump view would be that we should be buying cars from the US to balance out trade but these vehicles have been largely rejected by UK buyers in the past purely because they didn’t meet their needs or expectations.”
The Startline Used Automotive Tracker is compiled month-to-month for Startline Motor Finance by APD World Analysis. This time, 306 customers and 58 sellers had been questioned.
.
