UK car industry faces ‘difficult trade-off’ between Chinese and EU markets

Britain under pressure to put tariffs on cheap Chinese vehicle imports ahead of protectionist trade measures

Britain's car industry is grappling with a difficult trade-off" between China and Europe, as manufacturers struggle to balance the benefits of both markets ahead of looming trade measures that could restrict UK exports to the EU.

The UK is an outlier in choosing not to put import taxes on Chinese vehicles, even as the US has shut them out almost entirely, and the EU imposes duties of up to 45%.