Trump drives tariff wars

US President Donald Trump’s hardline protectionist stance against Chinese imports has thrown cars right into the middle of a new trade war. Trump recently slapped a 25 percent tariff on US$50 billion ($A67.4 billion) worth of goods including cars, affecting manufacturers including Volvo, which will build its Polestar 1 hybrid coupe just outside Shanghai. The move has sparked fears that Trump would extend the tariff to all imported cars in a bid to win voters ahead of the upcoming US mid-term elections due in November.