New Executive Order Signed by President Trump Relieves Automobile Industry of “Stacked” Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on April 29, 2025 designed to alleviate ‘stacked’ tariffs on vehicle manufacturers.

According to Sandler, Travis, & Rosenberg, (ST&R) “When… imported articles [are] subject to more than one of the tariffs listed below, the EO establishes the following procedure for determining which tariff will apply:

• articles subject to Section 232 tariffs on automobiles and auto parts will not also be subject to (1) tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act due to concerns about fentanyl and illegal immigration or (2) Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum, and derivative articles
• articles subject to the IEEPA tariffs on Canada and Mexico will not also be subject to Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum, and derivative articles
• articles subject to Section 232 tariffs on imports of aluminum and derivative articles will also be subject to Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel and derivative articles provided they otherwise satisfy all conditions necessary for application of those tariffs
• similarly, articles subject to Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel and derivative articles will also be subject to Section 232 tariffs on imports of aluminum and derivative articles provided they otherwise satisfy all conditions necessary for application of those tariffs.”

STR also noted that this Executive Order will “apply retroactively to all entries of affected goods made on or after March 4. Any refunds will be processed pursuant to applicable laws as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s standard procedures.

The EO states that if an imported article is subject to both a tariff described above and one or more other tariffs, all of those tariffs will apply. This includes (but is not limited to) most-favored-nation import duties, Section 301 tariffs, tariffs imposed under IEEPA on imports from China, and antidumping and countervailing duties.

Any changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. necessary to comply with this EO must be made no later than 12:01 a.m. EDT on May 16.” Read more about this in ST&R’s summary.

Due to the rapidly changing application and modifications of duty rates, please note that Deringer is not responsible for coordinating the timing of U.S. entry and imposed tariff rates.