Ford worries no-deal Brexit tariffs might have double impact

Rivals that build engines elsewhere and then ship them to the UK for assembly, by contrast, would incur no charges thanks to a tariff-free regime that Prime Minister Theresa May’s government plans to offer for auto-component imports. And the same, companies could then satisfy the demands of the local market direct from their British plants, also tariff free.

“These tariffs would deal a devastating blow to much of the complex and integrated automotive industry, and would damage the competitiveness of Ford’s engine manufacturing in the UK,” Ford said on Wednsday.

The company, which last month said a hard Brexit would be “catastrophic” for the UK auto industry and its own production facilities, also counts Britain as its biggest European market, representing 6 percent of global sales in 2017.