TRUMP WIN SPARKS FEAT OF HIKED TARIFFS IN US

Presidentzelect Trump has talked of imposing punitive tariffs on cars made outside the US

- NICK GIBBS

Car makers exporting to the US are waiting to see if Donald Trump will convert his rhetoric on tariffs into reality as they digest news that the Republican has won a second term as president.

The US is a key market for premium and luxury UK car makers, with cars from Aston Martin, Bentley, JLR, McLaren and Rolls-Royce comprising the bulk of the 73,571 UK car exports to the US last year.

JLR in particular is vulnerable to any potential tariff hike on European cars.

The US was the company's biggest global market in the first nine months of the year, taking three out of every 10 cars it sold. JLR said it would not comment on the issue.

Trump railed against Europe and its car exports during his election campaign. "They don't take our cars. They don't take our farm products. They sell millions and millions of cars in the United States. No, no, no, they are going to have to pay a big price," Trump told a meeting of the Economic Club of Chicago in October. "To me the most beautiful word in the dictionary is 'tariff'."