Umgang mit der Zollsturm: Mercedes plant die Produktion des GLS in China, Jaguar Land Rover stoppt die Exporte nach den USA | Exklusiv von 36Kr

The United States announced a tariff increase, forcing the global automotive industry to cope with the turmoil.

36Kr exclusively learned that due to the sudden tariff increase announced by the United States, the agenda of Mercedes - Benz's board meeting in April was temporarily changed. After the adjustment, the board will make decisions on a series of new tariff - related issues, including "whether to promote the local production of GLS in China".

However, a decision on whether to change the production line of a car model across countries requires more discussions before it can be finalized.

The background of this sudden change is the two "reciprocal tariff" executive orders signed by Trump on April 2nd: The United States will set a "minimum benchmark tariff" of 10% for its trading partners and impose higher tariffs on some countries. In addition, a 25% tariff will be imposed on imported cars.

Currently, all GLS models sold by Mercedes - Benz in the Chinese market are imported from the United States, with a guide price ranging from 1.06 million yuan to 1.788 million yuan. In 2024, 13,000 GLS models were sold in China, making it the best - selling model among Mercedes - Benz's million - level SUV products.

"Million - level cars are the profit pillar of Mercedes - Benz. The money earned from selling 10,000 GLS models may be more than that from selling 100,000 C - class models," a Mercedes - Benz insider told 36Kr. "There has never been a mention of localizing this type of car before."

Under the pressure of tariffs, Mercedes - Benz has for the first time put the local production of such a million - level SUV on the agenda.

Like Mercedes - Benz, BMW is also facing the pressure brought by tariffs. Currently, models such as the X4 and X6 sold by BMW in China are also imported from the United States, and they need to bear the double - tariff pressure of the United States importing parts from Europe and China importing complete vehicles from the United States.

"BMW has not mentioned the localization of the X4, X6, and X7 models," a BMW insider told 36Kr. The annual sales volume of these three BMW models in China is only about 10,000 - 20,000 units. Compared with the total import volume of over 50,000 units of Mercedes - Benz's GLE and GLS models, BMW seems less urgent.

However, this change may only be the beginning. Tariffs are like a sword hanging over the heads of global automakers such as Mercedes - Benz and BMW, which have close trade relations with both China and the United States.

Luxury automakers hit a wall under US tariff policies

Before the "reciprocal tariff" policy, the US tariff on EU cars was only 2.5%. After the adjustment, the US tariff standard for the EU is 20%, and the car tariff follows additional regulations, reaching 25%.

Taking Mercedes - Benz as an example, the US market has long accounted for 15% of its global sales. In 2024, Mercedes - Benz's total sales in the United States were 324,000 units, and the best - selling model was the locally - produced GLE, with sales reaching 67,000 units.

Mercedes - Benz has a factory in Alabama, USA, which mainly produces the GLE, GLS, and Maybach GLS models.

"The GLE is produced only in the United States globally, and almost all GLS and Maybach GLS models sold worldwide are imported from the United States," a Mercedes - Benz insider told 36Kr. "At the same time, other Mercedes - Benz cars sold in the United States are also imported."

According to 36Kr, although models such as the GLE and GLS are locally produced in the United States, many core components still need to be imported from Europe. Under such a production and sales layout, US tariffs have become an important factor affecting Mercedes - Benz's global operations.

After the "reciprocal tariff" policy, the component costs of Mercedes - Benz's North American factories will increase significantly, and the prices of GLE, GLS, and Maybach GLS models in all regions of the world will rise. Either product sales or manufacturer profits will be damaged.

Among these models, the remaining 200,000 Mercedes - Benz cars sold in the United States are all imported models. The tariffs on these cars will increase tenfold.

Taking the Mercedes - Benz G - class as an example, the United States is the largest market for this model. Last year, the sales volume of the Mercedes - Benz G - class in the United States exceeded 10,000 units, twice that of the Chinese market. This car is a pure - import model in the United States, with a starting price of $131,700 (approximately 960,000 yuan).

After the tariff increase, the tariff cost of buying a Mercedes - Benz G - class in the United States will rise from $3,200 to $32,000. The starting price of the Tesla Model 3 in the United States is only $35,000, and consumers will have to pay almost as much in tariffs as the price of a high - end small car.

For Mercedes - Benz, the local production layout in the United States can provide some buffer. Luxury brands with higher prices and lower sales volumes will be more directly affected.

In 2024, the United States was the largest global market for luxury brands such as Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini, accounting for almost one - third of their sales. Moreover, these luxury automakers do not have factories in the United States and rely 100% on imports.

Currently, the operating conditions of these luxury automakers are not very good. Bentley's financial report in 2024 was its worst in the past five years, and Porsche's profits plummeted by more than 30%.

Different from Toyota's measure of bearing the tariff cost by the manufacturer and not raising the terminal price, Jan - Henrik Lafrentz, the chief financial officer of Bentley, once publicly stated that if the Trump administration adjusts the car tariff to 25%, although Bentley will evaluate different options, the cost will ultimately be passed on to consumers.

In 2024, the total value of cars imported by the United States from Germany alone reached as high as $24.8 billion. The United States is one of the most important consumer countries for high - end luxury cars, and luxury brands cannot abandon the US market.

On the other hand, the higher - end the model, the lower the sales volume, and the more concentrated the production location. The sales model that relies on import and export trade is also more sensitive to changes in vehicle tariff policies around the world.

Luxury automakers can no longer ignore this trade war brought about by tariffs.

Strategies to break the deadlock under tariff barriers: Achieve local self - operation

Luxury brands that rely 100% on imports are currently in a very passive position.

On April 6th, Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would suspend the export of complete vehicles to the United States for one month starting from April 7th to cope with the impact of the 25% tariff increase.

Mercedes - Benz's countermeasure is to promote local production in both China and the United States to reduce dependence on imports and exports.

On March 12th, Mercedes - Benz officially announced the appointment of the North American CEO. Group executives have previously stated many times that the goal of this new CEO is to carry out more local production at the Tuscaloosa factory in Alabama to avoid the impact of potential tariffs.

In the Chinese market, Mercedes - Benz is considering promoting the local production of the GLS. 36Kr previously reported that Ola Källenius, the chairman of Mercedes - Benz's board, once asked internally whether the GLE model could be 100% localized in China.

In Mercedes - Benz's view, the ultimate measure to alleviate the impact of tariffs is to enable each market to achieve local self - operation.

However, promoting localization is not an easy task.

"Mercedes - Benz has R & D in North America, but the number of R & D personnel is far less than that in China. In fact, the position of North American CEO was only established this year," a Mercedes - Benz insider told 36Kr. "Building a local team from scratch in North America would be an astronomical investment for Mercedes - Benz at present."

However, Mercedes - Benz's earnings before interest and taxes declined by 31% in 2024. Currently, Mercedes - Benz's German headquarters is encouraging employees to "voluntarily leave", and its sales and finance companies in China have started layoffs.

Under the general goal of cost reduction and efficiency improvement, Mercedes - Benz was already facing the pressure of further localization in the Chinese market.

"Cost reduction in the supply chain is a goal for Mercedes - Benz in China, and in - depth localization is one of the ways. Increasing R & D investment in the short term to let the Chinese team develop local suppliers in exchange for long - term cost reduction," a Mercedes - Benz China insider told 36Kr.

Mercedes - Benz cannot bear the price war in the Chinese market in the long run, and cost reduction in the supply chain is an inevitable path. However, if it does not quickly promote local R & D and production in the United States, Mercedes - Benz's market share and profits in the United States, its major market, will also be directly affected.

In addition to Mercedes - Benz, Volkswagen has also previously indicated that it is considering setting up production bases in the United States for its Audi and Porsche brands to avoid the impact of tariffs.

All this is in line with Trump's vision: The increase in car tariffs will increase the costs of car manufacturers, forcing them to invest in building factories in the United States.

However, the total car sales volume in the United States in 2024 was 16.09 million units, only half of that in the Chinese market.

Making the most of every penny, luxury automakers need to attach importance to the US market, which is a profit - generating market, while not giving up the Chinese market, which is large in scale and full of potential. They are facing a dilemma caused by tariffs.

As the pearl on the crown of the manufacturing industry, the automotive industry will inevitably become one of the focuses of the tariff war. The era of global production and sales in the past is coming to an end, which also seems to be a microcosm of global trade.