SAIC Stalls U.S. Entry Over Uncertainty Over U.S. Trade Policy

SAIC Motor Corp., China's largest carmaker, says it won’t implement plans to enter the U.S. market until the Trump administration clarifies its trade policies.

Michael Yang, who heads SAIC’s international department, tells reporters in China that the company currently is focused on shipping vehicles to Europe instead.

President Donald Trump has threatened to start a trade war with China that would include tariffs on imported goods. But he has since reversed course as a show of support for China’s actions to ease tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

Bloomberg News notes that SAIC’s caution comes as Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. declares it is pushing ahead with plans to enter the North American car market. GAC says it will open a research center in the U.S. before introducing its 7-year-old Trumpchi brand of cars and SUVs there by 2019.

Two years ago, GAC declared a goal of launching its GS4 small crossover in the U.S. by 2017. It displayed that vehicle at the 2015 Detroit auto show, where this year it presented two more production models: the GE3 electric hatchback and GS7 midsize SUV.