Seattle/ Beijing — BMW and Daimler are facing more pain in China as higher tariffs on imported US cars force price hikes and consumers hold back on purchases. BMW, which like Daimler ships US-made sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to China, said on Sunday it would join Tesla in raising prices in the Asian country. The steeper charges stem from China’s decision to boost tariffs to 40% on July 6, part of a tit-for-tat trade war with the US. China almost simultaneously cut import duties for cars from everywhere else. US car makers without China plants, such as Tesla, or those making US-China shipments as well as importing a significant portion of their sales (Daimler, BMW, Fiat) are feeling the most pain from the new landscape. Car makers have thus stepped up efforts to make more cars locally. Tesla is looking to invest more in the world’s biggest car market with a planned factory near Shanghai. BMW is angling for majority control of its Chinese car venture, while Daimler has said it would...
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