It seems Audi’s importation suspension for U.S.-bound cars isn’t so. In a response to our statement request regarding the matter, Audi of America’s Director of Communications, Mark Dahncke, exclusively told TopSpeed that “no import stop is in place,” contradicting other reports saying Audi is halting vehicle exports to the States.
Just yesterday, news broke out that Audi AG was suspending shipments to the U.S. in response to Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on the auto industry, which slapped a 25% tax hike on all foreign and imported autos and their related parts. Several other automakers, such as Lotus and Jaguar-Land Rover, also halted product shipments to the U.S. in response, prior to news of Audi’s supposed equivalent move.
But in a follow-up statement from Audi of America, that is not the case.
U.S. Shipments Will Continue, Plenty Of Inventory Exists, But They’re Still ‘Monitoring’ The Situation
Originally, Germany’s Zeit and Automobilwoche, as well as Reuters separately, all learned of Audi AG’s supposed decision to temporarily halt U.S. vehicle shipments in response to Trump’s tariffs. In the same breath, Audi in Germany also reportedly told U.S. dealers to focus on selling current inventory in the States as the company assesses and navigates the situation.
However, when we reached out to Audi of America specifically to comment on the matter, while asking about the specifics regarding the suspension, Dahncke responded with the following:
“Regarding tariffs, we have a stable supply of cars in the market at this time. There is no import stop, but we continue to carefully evaluate the situation presented by imposed tariffs in the best interest of our customers and our dealers.”
– Mark Dahncke, Director Of Communications, Audi of America
Around the same time that the reports of a potential shipment suspension began surfacing, Audi of America supposedly reported having enough inventory to last the automaker two months, or approximately 37,000 units. Those units are already on U.S. shores and wouldn’t be affected by the tariffs.
The tariffs come at an important time for the Ingolstadt-based luxury carmaker as the brand is in the midst of overhauling its lineup. It’s also in the middle of reworking its product strategy after its investments in its electric vehicle lineup over the past several years didn’t pay off as well as the company anticipated. As a result, Audi backtracked on its electric vehicle offensive to focus back on internal combustion and even gas-electric hybrid tech.
In the latest quarter sales reports, Audi’s sales in the U.S. reportedly fell for the fifth consecutive time by 3.4 percent. The company’s betting on its new and incoming vehicles, such as a next-gen Q5, a new A6 sedan, and a new three-row crossover SUV, to help turn that ship around.
Audi also does not have any production facilities in the United States. All of its cars are made either in Germany, Slovakia, or Hungary, with the closest U.S. plant being in Mexico, where North American-spec Q5s are made.
TopSpeed’s Take
In an interesting response to Trump’s tariffs, Audi will be continuing to ship and import its cars for the U.S. market, contrary to other reports. That said, buyers can now rest a little bit easier if they are looking to rush and purchase a new Audi in the near future due to fears of rising costs incurred by the tariffs.
Many industry analysts and economists predict the cost of new and even used vehicles (younger than the age of 25) will skyrocket in price and value, due to the tariffs squeezing the market by hindering supply to already heightened demand.
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