About-face of Tesla owner Elon Musk who declared himself against US tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (Ev), after issuing a warning in January about the need for trade barriers. Musk has said he is not in favor of market-distorting measures. This month, the president of the United States Joe Biden has imposed new tariffs on a number of Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, to try to support American manufacturing.
“Neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs, in fact I was surprised when they were announced. Things that inhibit freedom of trade or distort the market are not good,” Musk said at the Viva Technology conference in Paris by video link. “Tesla competes quite well in the Chinese market with no tariffs and no support. I am in favor of no tariffs“, he added.
In January, Musk warned that Chinese automakers would “demolish” global competitors without trade barriers. “If trade barriers aren’t established, they’re going to basically demolish most of the other automakers in the world,” he said on a post-earnings call with analysts earlier this year.