The Volkswagen display at the New York International Auto Show on April 16, 2025.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Volkswagen wants to make more big investments in the United States, CEO Oliver Blume said in an interview with a German newspaper on Friday, adding that tariff talks with the U.S. government were “fair” and “constructive.”
Several foreign companies have announced U.S. investments in response to President Donald Trump’s import tariffs, but German carmakers have been more cautious about committing more resources to what is their biggest export market.
Volkswagen’s Audi brand, which has no production in the United States, is planning to produce some models in there, although the brand has said that the plan pre-dates the Trump administration.
“So far, we have had absolutely fair, constructive discussions,” Blume told Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “I was in Washington myself and we have been in regular dialogue ever since.”
Blume, who also leads Porsche as CEO, said Volkswagen’s main contact in Washington was U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, adding he had agreed to keep any details of the discussions confidential.
Sources told Reuters earlier this week that German carmakers including Volkswagen were in talks with Washington over a possible import tariff deal, seeking to use their U.S. investments and exports as leverage to soften any blow.
Trump’s trade war has cost companies more than $34 billion in lost sales and higher costs, according to a Reuters analysis of corporate disclosures, with companies pursuing various strategies to cope.
Most of the tariffs were blocked by a U.S. trade court this week, but a federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated them to consider the Trump administration’s appeal against the trade court’s ruling. The 25% tariff imposed on auto imports earlier this year has not been affected by the rulings.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse’s assessment that tariffs would likely fall from July.
“Of course, I also want it to happen quickly. But it depends on many factors and I can’t promise anything.”
